# Measuring Stress in Diverse Gender Minority Adolescents

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2021 · $206,250

## Abstract

Measuring Stress in Diverse Gender Minority Adolescents
Project Summary (30 lines)
This study will develop a comprehensive measure of stress for TGA—the Transgender
Adolescent Stress Scale (TASS). TGA experience significantly higher risks of many behavioral
health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, substance use and suicide. Such disparities are
likely related to experiences of gender dysphoria, and separately, minority stress – i.e., prejudice,
stigma, and victimization against transgender persons – but existing research has typically
focused on adults, and existing measures have sub-optimal psychometric characteristics. Thus,
we will develop a comprehensive measure of transgender adolescent stress – which includes
subscales for gender dysphoria and minority stress that can be used independently or in concert
-- as a means to facilitate improved clinical assessment and intervention development. Toward
this end, Aim 1 will utilize a modified Delphi process and data analysis of existing interviews with
TGAs to identify and operationalize unique stressors that influence transgender persons during
adolescence, including cognitive interviews (n=20) with transgender adolescents. Based on the
extensive experience of the team in developing the Sexual Minority Adolescent Stress Inventory
(SMASI), these methods will ensure that Aim 1 results in a comprehensive preliminary
Transgender Adolescent Stress Scale (TASS) ready for testing. In Aim 2, we will utilize a dual-
method social media and respondent driven sampling (RDS) approach to recruit 450 racially and
ethnically diverse TGAs. These adolescents will complete the preliminary TASS as well as a
series of behavioral health, substance use, and suicidality measures. Data analysis in Aim 2 will
focus on assessing reliability and criterion validity of the TASS, as well as convergant/divergent
validity of the TASS as compared to existing measures. In each stage, the presence of an expert
panel, as well as rigorous methods for recruitment, data cleaning, and analysis, will ensure that
the produced TASS is a comprehensive measure ready to be utilized by researchers and
clinicians to better understand and address stress experiences among transgender adolescents.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10263262
- **Project number:** 5R21MD015945-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** HARMONY R RHOADES
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $206,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-14 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10263262

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10263262, Measuring Stress in Diverse Gender Minority Adolescents (5R21MD015945-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10263262. Licensed CC0.

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