JPSIM Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine J Pak Soc Intern Med 2709-8729 2710-0804 Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine 10.70302/jpsim.v3i3.2252 jpsim.v3i3.2252 STUDENT CORNER Psychological Stressors and Suicidal Ideation among Transgender in Lahore, Pakistan Faiz Rameen rameenfaiz1997@gmail.com * Farooq Muhammad Talha Umair Muhammad Ramzan Rabia Sajid Rida Fatima Malook Qais ul King Edward Medical University *Correspondence: Rameen Faiz (rameenfaiz1997@gmail.com) 12 09 2022 2022 3 3 256 261 07 04 2022 12 07 2022 Copyright © 2022 The Author(s) 2022 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective

Transgenders, in Pakistan, face verbal victimization, physical discrimination and sexual abuse at the hands of society, which endanger both their physical and mental health significantly. The aim of the study was to measure the frequency of psychological stressors and suicidal ideation among adult trans-gender individuals in Lahore, Pakistan.

 Methodology

A cross-sectional study using snow-ball sampling technique was conducted, from January 2019 to September 2019. 113 transgenders (sample size calculated using confidence interval of 95% and absolute precision of 9%) were interviewed at the Fountain House of Lahore, Pakistan. A questionnaire based on Kessler scale of psychological distress served the purpose of data collection tool. The questionnaires were translated into two languages, Urdu and English, for the ease of the participants. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS-26, with a significance level set at p

 Results

High levels of psychological distress (47.7%) were prevalent among the transgenders. Verbal victimization (69.9%), institutional discrimination (32.7%), physical discrimination (33.6%), sexual abuse (33.6%), workplace discrimination (43.4%) and lack of family support (38.1%) were reported in large proportion.

 Conclusion

Levels of psychological stressors and suicidal ideation among transgenders were alarmingly high. The transgender community is socially excluded by the society where they face discriminatory behavior in daily life. Such attitudes make them vulnerable to psychological stress.

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