Coping with stigma: Implications for distress and well-being among trans and nonbinary adults

Trans and nonbinary (TNB) people are negatively impacted by structural and interpersonal stigma, and these associations may be influenced by TNB people's coping responses. In a racially diverse sample of 607 TNB adults, we (a) evaluated the direct and indirect associations of structural stigma (measured as proposed anti-TNB laws) and interpersonal stigma (measured as discrimination, rejection, and harassment) on distress and well-being, (b) identified patterns in the use of TNB-specific coping strategies using cluster analysis, and (c) tested whether coping cluster membership mediated the associations between structural stigma, interpersonal stigma, and distress and well-being. Results indicated that structural stigma both directly and indirectly predicted distress through interpersonal stigma. Only interpersonal stigma, not structural stigma, predicted well-being. Cluster analysis revealed three coping clusters characterized as low coping use (low levels of all types of coping, n = 221), concealment coping (high levels of concealment and avoidant coping, low levels of social coping, n = 180), and social coping (high levels of social coping and low levels of concealment, n = 206). Mediation analyses revealed that structural and interpersonal stigma predicted low coping use and social coping, but not concealment coping. Concealment coping was associated with higher distress and lower levels of well-being. Social coping did not predict distress, but did predict higher levels of well-being. These findings support the importance of addressing various forms of stigma to decrease distress and increase well-being among TNB individuals and shed light on the importance of social coping mechanisms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).