Testosterone may protect against effects of gender-related discrimination

Testosterone appears to provide protective benefits against the negative impact of gender-related discrimination on well-being among LGBTQ+ individuals, suggests a recent study.

In this study, 107 LGBTQ+ individuals completed a survey on gender-related discrimination, loneliness, and well-being. They also provided a saliva sample, which was used to derive their endogenous testosterone levels. Well-being served as the primary outcome and was measured using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index.

Gender-related discrimination showed a significant association with increased levels of loneliness, which in turn correlated with reduced well-being.

However, testosterone levels significantly moderated the association between gender-related discrimination and well-being. Notably, the negative association seen between discrimination and well-being did not reach significance among individuals with higher levels of testosterone.

“These results suggest that higher levels of testosterone may protect against the psychological consequences of gender-related discrimination,” the authors said.

While this study represents efforts to obtain empirical evidence on the protective role of testosterone among LGBTQ+ individuals, a single biomarker (eg, testosterone) may not fully capture the complexity of resilience.

"Understanding the biological and psychological foundations of minority stress necessitates the integration of multiple biological factors,” the authors said. “Such an approach would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the stress-buffering mechanisms operating among LGBTQ+ individuals.”