Trans Young People's Experiences of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly common among trans young people. Trans young people tend to experience high levels of emotional distress due to the unique stressors they face, and often use NSSI as an emotion regulation strategy. These stressors include gender dysphoria, body image concerns, and transphobic experiences. The aims of this study were to explore the lived experience of trans young people who self-injure and understand the psychosocial context in which the behavior occurs. Specifically, we explored how participants conceptualized the roles that gender dysphoria, body image, and transphobic experiences had to play in their self-injury. We interviewed 20 trans people between the ages of 14 and 25 in Australia. The data were analyzed using a critical realist approach to reflexive thematic analysis. We constructed five themes from the data: (a) "dealing with double stigma," (b) "the need for self-actualization," (c) "battling with the body," (d) "transition as a turning point," and (e) "lack of control." Our findings suggest that self-injury among our participants was largely underpinned by the expectations and constraints of a societal culture of cisnormativity.