Reducing Suicide Ideation in Transgender Adolescents with Mindful Self-Compassion: An Open Trial

Objectives: This open trial aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a modified version of Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens for transgender adolescents and assess changes in suicide ideation and other measures of emotional well-being. As an exploratory measure, we investigated potential moderators of suicide ideation outcomes, such as self-compassion. Method: Two cohorts of transgender and gender-diverse adolescents recruited from the US and Canada (n = 35; age range 13–17, M = 14.9, SD = 1.19) participated in an eight-session online self-compassion program. Quantitative measures of wellbeing (i.e., suicide ideation, depression, resilience) were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up, and qualitative data (through open-ended questions on an electronic form) were collected at post-intervention and 2-month follow-up. Results: Suicide ideation decreased with large effect sizes from baseline to follow-up, and most other measures of wellbeing improved with small to moderate effect sizes. Feasibility was confirmed, and acceptability differed markedly between cohorts, with the cohort with greater acceptability improving in mental health attributes to a greater degree. Self-compassion and thwarted belongingness, a factor related to suicide ideation, moderated suicide ideation such that those with greater self-compassion or less thwarted belongingness experienced less suicide ideation. Conclusions: Self-compassion programs can be beneficial to help transgender adolescents manage the stressors and negative emotional outcomes arising from the anti-trans sociopolitical discourse that has been pervasive in the US. We provide recommendations for future implementations, including that someone who is transgender be part of the instructional staff. Future studies would benefit from larger sample sizes and randomized control trials to confirm the present findings. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered.

Duke Scholars

Author Jinyoung Park