Background: The security measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 emergency have caused complex consequences. The aim of the present study is to examine the repercussions of the pandemic on individuals belonging to gender identity minority groups, who have experienced heightened levels of stress in comparison to the general population. Methods: Online interviews with 12 transgender participants who resided in Italy during the pandemic were conducted and subsequently analyzed following the thematic analysis methodology. Results: The majority of the participants reported an increase in stress levels primarily attributed to the lack of acceptance and support within their familial environments, obstacles encountered in accessing specialized healthcare services, and a lack of support from the broader LGBTQ+ community. Despite these challenges, several participants developed effective coping strategies and a subset of them also benefited from multiple resilience factors, including familial support and assistance from mental health professionals. Conclusions: The outcomes of the present study indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic, while fostering certain protective factors within this population, has also given rise to new and critical mental health concerns. These findings hold significant implications for professionals working with transgender populations, highlighting the necessity of addressing these emerging mental health issues.

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face significant healthcare barriers, resulting in inequities and unmet needs. Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer promising solutions by providing accessible, cost-effective, personalized, and gender-affirming care. This systematic review, conducted using PRISMA 2020 guidelines and the PICO framework, screened 5005 records from 4 databases and included 11 articles. The review aimed to identify key features of mHealth apps developed for TGD individuals, focusing on theoretical frameworks, design strategies, and their approaches to addressing healthcare barriers. Key challenges in developing mHealth apps include implementing systemic changes in healthcare settings to combat stigma and discrimination, grounding app development in TGD-specific theoretical frameworks, adequately addressing stressors and protective factors, and overcoming methodological limitations that hinder the evaluation of health outcomes. Overcoming these challenges requires rigorous research methodologies, inclusive designs, reliance on evidence-based TGD frameworks, and stronger collaboration among researchers, healthcare providers, and TGD communities.

Introduction: Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals experience disproportionately high rates of disordered eating (DE), yet little is known about how resilience factors operate within risk pathways linked to dehumanization. Drawing on the Pantheoretical Model of Dehumanization (PMD) and the Transgender Resilience Intervention Model (TRIM), this study examines whether individual- and group-level resilience factors moderate associations between dehumanization, internalization of beauty standards (IBS), and DE among TGD adults. Methods: Between November 2024 and May 2025, a sample of 122 TGD individuals completed validated measures assessing minority stress and resilience (Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure), sexual objectification (Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale), IBS (Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire - Social Media), DE symptoms (Eating Disorder Examination - Questionnaire), and psychosocial resilience factors (Comprehensive Hope State Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Transgender Identity Survey, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Results: Exploratory moderated mediation analyses revealed several resilience factors (self-esteem, trust, self-realization, TGD pride, acceptance of TGD identity and acceptance of TGD expression) were associated with lower IBS and reduced DE symptoms. However, some factors also showed context-dependent patterns. TGD pride appeared to intensify the dehumanization-IBS association, while community belonging and identity acceptance were associated with amplified links between IBS and DE outcomes, potentially suggesting that intracommunity appearance norms may reinforce cisnormative aesthetic pressures. Conditional indirect effects varied across levels of resilience factors, though the exploratory nature of these analyses warrants cautious interpretation. Discussion: These exploratory findings suggest that psychosocial resources may both mitigate and inadvertently intensify vulnerability to body-related distress, depending on sociocultural and community contexts. These findings underscore the potential value of individualized clinical and community interventions that address the heterogeneous needs and lived experiences of TGD people.

Background: The Gender Variance Scale (GVS) was developed to assess self-perceived masculinity and femininity across diverse gender identities, including binary and non-binary experiences. To date, no validated Italian version was available. Methods: A total of 356 participants (192 transgender and gender-diverse [TGD], 164 cisgender) completed the Italian GVS and the SF-12 Health Survey. Translation and cultural adaptation followed international guidelines. Psychometric evaluation included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency, test–retest reliability (n = 63), convergent validity with health-related quality of life, and group comparisons across gender identity categories. Results: CFA supported the original two-factor model (CFI = 0.916, TLI = 0.905, RMSEA = 0.076, SRMR = 0.053). Internal consistency was high (α = 0.89). The GVS distinguished between gender identity groups: TGD participants scored higher than cisgender peers, and non-binary individuals reported significantly lower scores than both binary groups. Test–retest reliability was strong (r = 0.87–0.99; ICC = 0.992–0.996). Conclusions: The Italian GVS is a valid and reliable measure of gender variance. It provides clinicians, researchers, and educators with a culturally appropriate tool to assess gender expression and support inclusive practices in both community and clinical contexts.

Gender-affirming hormonal therapy (GAHT) is used by transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals to achieve physical appearance aligned with gender identity (Coleman et al., 2022), typically in...