Self-compassion training for transgender and gender-diverse individuals experiencing psychological distress. A non-concurrent multiple-baseline single-case study.

In recent years, we have witnessed a backlash concerning societal attitudes towards transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals in liberal democracies. In accordance with the gender minority stress model, these stressors have detrimental effects on TGD individuals' well-being, leading to higher rates of depression and anxiety. This multiple-baseline single-case study aimed to develop and test the efficacy of a brief, internet-delivered, self-compassion training module for TGD individuals suffering from psychological distress. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was applied, where six TGD individuals living in Sweden were randomly assigned to different baseline lengths. Participants completed weekly self-ratings about their self-compassion and psychological distress (i.e., depressive feelings and anxiety). Visual inspection and statistical nonoverlap (NAP) analysis showed that four out of six participants improved on at least two of the three measures (self-compassion, depressive feelings, anxiety). Due to a short follow-up, it is unclear to what extent the participants were able to retain the improvements unassisted. Nevertheless, results suggest that a self-compassion module may be a useful addition to TGD-affirmative interventions. Potential benefits of prolonging the program and extending follow-up are discussed.