Current psychosocial research on transgender individuals' mental health: A Chilean perspective

Abstract

Transgender individuals have progressively acquired visibility and rights in many western societies. Psychosocial research on this population is recent and has focused on sexual prejudice and its impact on the mental health of transgender people. This paper intends to clarify some conceptual definitions used in psychosocial research, summarize the evidence obtained in Chile, and observe how it relates to international literature. Although the article focuses on mental health, the effects of prejudice and social rejection as precursors of a deteriorated mental health are also examined. This paper aims to contribute to debate and research on pending conceptual and methodological issues related to transgender populations in Latin America.