Coping Experiences of Trans Women Throughout Their Gender Exploration and Affirmation

Objectives: Understanding the coping experiences of trans women throughout their gender exploration and affirmation is crucial for developing targeted psychosocial support services tailored to their specific needs, thereby promoting their well-being through enhanced coping strategies. This study aimed to explore trans women's coping experiences throughout their gender exploration and affirmation process. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was employed, involving in-person, semi-structured interviews with 12 trans women to gather in-depth data on their coping experiences. Results: Fourteen themes emerged from the content analysis of trans women's experiences in four contexts: "self-discovery," "self-acceptance," "coming out to others," and "after coming out to others." The results showed that while trans women predominantly used avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies during the process of self-discovery, these strategies started to become more problem-oriented in the "self-acceptance" process. During the process of coming out and afterwards, coping strategies involved approach, such as seeking social support, using internal resources, and planful problem-solving. Conclusions: This study sheds light on the coping strategies used by trans women throughout their gender exploration and affirmation, highlighting both the constructive and challenging aspects of these strategies. The study emphasizes the importance of providing psychosocial support and enhancing the accessibility of these services to strengthen the coping strategies of trans women throughout their gender exploration and affirmation, particularly in the contexts of self-discovery and coming out to the people around them.