Mindfulness Meditation Programs Informed by Transgender Youth

Abstract

Objectives: This study explores the openness of transgender and gender diverse youth and young adults (TGDY) to mindfulness meditation programs in order to create culturally informed interventions to benefit this population. Method: Two focus groups were conducted with a total of ten TGDY ages 14–24 years old at a transgender youth health center in a large metropolitan city in the USA. A 10-min guided mindfulness meditation was included for participants to experience and voice reactions to. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was utilized to measure the quantitative impact of the meditation on participants’ anxiety and thematic analysis for the qualitative data. Results: Reflexive Thematic Analysis on qualitative focus group data revealed the following four themes: Active in Self-care, Silent Meditation Is “Not for Me,” Guided Mindfulness Calms and Connects, and Program Ideas for Future. STAI results indicated a statistically significant reduction in anxiety following participation in the group meditation. Conclusions: Participants were open to mindfulness as an additional method of self-care, and they emphasized future programs should include sensory stimulation, a pressure-free environment accepting of active minds and bodies, and a transgender instructor if possible. Meditation and mindfulness have the potential to be a very powerful healing modality for TGDY in clinical and therapeutic care. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered.