Manthan - Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of transgender persons in the national capital region of Delhi using a peer support approach: A pre-post mixed method study

Introduction Transgender individuals face a heightened risk of psychiatric illness due to the stigma to which they are subjected. Peer support has been shown to improve service uptake within the transgender community in HIV programmes. It has also been associated with positive impacts on the mental health of people with lived experience of mental illness, as well as individuals from vulnerable populations such as sex workers. Methods This pre-post study employed mixed methods to conduct a preliminary evaluation of a trans peer support model, examining its effects on anxiety, depression, suicidality/self-harm, and psychological wellbeing. The study also sought to assess the acceptability of the peer support model and to identify facilitating and impeding factors. Results The findings demonstrate significant reductions in both depression (13.1 [SD 4.9] to 7.0 [SD 5.1], mean difference = −6.1 [95% CI = −7.61, −4.6], p