The unique roles of family, friend, and online support in the psychological adjustment of transgender young adults.

BACKGROUND: Transgender youth are more likely than cisgender youth to encounter risk, such as a lack of social support from families and offline friends, leading many to turn to online friendships for social support. Feeling supported is crucial for psychological adjustment, measured in positive outcomes such as pride, self-esteem, and belongingness and in negative outcomes such as internalized transphobia, depression, and loneliness.

AIMS: Using the risk and resilience framework, this study explores the relationship between social support across social contexts (families, offline friends, and online friends) and psychological adjustment using hierarchical regression modeling in a sample of 335 binary and nonbinary transgender young adults.

RESULTS: Family and offline friend support had stronger associations with adjustment than online friend support, and online friend support moderated the relationship between family support and pride and the relationship between offline friend support and pride. A qualitative analysis of participants' experiences of being transgender online explored additional insights into how transgender young adults use the internet for support. The qualitative analyses contextualized the qualitative findings, showcasing the varied experiences of trans individuals online and the importance of offline support as a cornerstone for psychological adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS: Social support from offline social contexts are more foundational and paramount to promoting positive psychological adjustment than online social support. Online engagement in trans young adults is individualized and offers a variety of supportive and unsupportive experiences.