Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Vol 12(4), Dec 2025, 562-577; doi:10.1037/sgd0000691
Internalized transphobia (IT) has been linked to poorer health and well-being among transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals. However, there has been little research on how IT is associated with factors related to one’s sense of self, such as self-concept clarity (SCC; i.e., the temporal stability and internal consistency of self-concept). This gap in the literature is notable, as gender identity is a central component of one’s self-concept. The present cross-sectional research quantitatively examined characteristics of and associations between IT, SCC, and self-esteem in two samples of TGNC young adults. On average, participants reported low-to-moderate IT, moderate SCC, and moderate self-esteem. Scores on these variables did not differ between binary and nonbinary participants, suggesting that TGNC young adults may experience similarities in self-evaluation and self-stigmatization irrespective of gender identity. However, scores differed as a function of gender affirmation, as participants living fully as their affirmed gender reported lower IT, higher SCC, and higher self-esteem than participants who did not. Furthermore, a cross-sectional mediation analysis demonstrated an indirect effect of higher IT on lower SCC through lower self-esteem, suggesting potential links between proximal gender minority stressors and self-schemas. Our findings suggest a novel path for understanding the well-being of TGNC individuals by integrating gender minority stress theory with self-concept theory, potentially informing additional targets for intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)