Advisor(s)
Kaylee Crockett
Committee Member(s)
Austin Johnson
Christianne Strang
Gabe Miller
Sylvie Mrug
Tiffany Brown
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
6-18-2026
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Transgender individuals’ uniquely stressful experiences, termed gender minority stressors, may contribute to health disparities, while resilience factors may interrupt this process. The Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSRM) is the most widely-used measurement tool assessing these factors; however, its length and lack of psychometric exploration are significant barriers to its widespread use. Leveraging a large, diverse national sample of transgender adults from the United States (N=695), the present study conducted a multi-method psychometric exploration of differential item functioning, measurement invariance, and idiographic meaning-making among GMSRM items. Structural equation models revealed substantial differential item functioning across age, race, and gender. While measurement invariance was evident across age and race, the GMSRM demonstrated only partial scalar and metric invariance for gender. Proposed two- and three-factor GMSRM structures had poor model fit. Following exploratory factor analysis, the present study identified the GMSRM-Revised, containing four factors of enacted stigma, anticipated stigma, internalized stigma, and resilience. A novel summed-scoring method captured prevalence and frequency of discrimination, rejection, and victimization experiences. However, cognitive interviews revealed significant concerns for the GMSRM’s reliability and validity among transgender adults, highlighting the importance of community-engaged measure development research. The present study has broad implications for the measurement of gender minority stress and resilience experiences among transgender adults.
Keywords
cognitive interviewing;community-engaged measure development;factor analysis;gender minority stress and resilience;psychometric validation
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Botelho, Elliott, "“It’S Hard To Be Exact”: A Multi-Method Examination Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Gender Minority Stress And Resilience Measure Among Transgender Adults" (2026). ETDs from 2020-2029. 225.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-2020s/225
