Gender Congruence and Mental Well-being Among Transgender Individuals: The Mediating Role of Self-Concept Clarity

The present study was aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-concept clarity in the relationship between gender congruence and mental well-being among transgender individuals. A purposive sample of 200 participants age ranged 19 to 55 years (M = 29.62, SD = 7.51) were taken from different institutions working for transgender communities from two cities that is Lahore and Bahawalpur. A self-constructed demographic sheet, the Transgender Congruence Scale (Kozee et al., 2012), the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (Campbell et al., 1996), and the Mental Health Continuum Scale (Keyes, 2002) were used for assessment. Results showed a positive relationship between gender congruence, self-concept clarity, and mental well-being among transgender individuals. It was also found that self-concept clarity positively predicted mental well-being. However, gender congruence did not predict mental well-being. The results also showed that self-concept clarity mediated the relationship between gender congruence and mental well-being. The study suggests that promoting self-concept clarity in transgender populations could bridge the gap between gender congruence and mental well-being. Hence, high self-concept clarity can also effectively boost the mental health of transgender individuals.