Kyle Tan

University of Waikato

Past studies that compare cisgender to transgender (or trans) and gender diverse people have found a higher prevalence of mental health problems among the latter groups. This article uses Testa’s gender minority stress framework, which is an expansion of minority stress theory, to assess minority stressors that are specific to the experiences of tr...

In Malaysia, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people (collectively known as LGBTQ) are subjected to cisheterosexism that criminalizes, pathologizes, and marginalizes their identities. Given the relative cisheterosexist nature of Malaysian society, it is important to scrutinize the current trend of research studies that have recruited...

This paper presents our reflections as psychological researchers based on a content analysis of studies published in Journal of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists and New Zealand Journal of Psychology over the last decade. We found the frequency of articles that had considered biculturalism, multiculturalism and diversity was related...

Internationally, there is a growing acceptance of gender and sexuality diversity and acknowledgment of LGBT + identities as health determinants. However, caution is warranted when applying research and intervention priorities from Global North countries to regions where LGBT + identities remain criminalized. In 2024, Malaysia maintains legal stance...

Following the recent claims lodged at two universities in Aotearoa New Zealand alleging the existence of racism, there has been scepticism towards the professed commitments by universities to create an inclusive and safe environment for Indigenous Māori. As a Kaupapa Māori-informed study, we (a group of Māori and Tauiwi scholars) employed tenets of...

There are scant LGBT+ studies in Southeast Asia exploring mental health differences across multiple social identities. Using data from the Malaysian KAMI Survey (n = 718), we conducted bivariate regression analyses to investigate the association between sociodemographic backgrounds and the prevalence of depression, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury...

Despite growing international criticism of actions and efforts to change sexual orientation and gender identity, such efforts remain prevalent in Malaysia. Using data from a nationwide community-based survey, this study examined the prevalence of these efforts amongst LGBT+ adults and the association between exposure to them and mental health outco...

On 1st September 2024, a session titled “Asian Psychology Collective” was held at the New Zealand Psychological Society conference in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. This brief report outlines the key discussion points during the launch of this collective. It is featured in Psychology Aotearoa Volume 16 Issue 2 for 2024.

This brief report contributes crucial empirical evidence to the fledgling literature on mental health status and minority stressors among LGBT+ people in Malaysia, where LGBT+ identities remain criminalized by laws. Drawing data from the 2023 Kami Survey ( n = 640), we explore the associations between enacted stigma (measured using the Experiences...

Psychology must reassess its training approach, as the current monocultural paradigm not only causes harm, but also fails to equip psychologists with the knowledge needed to provide culturally appropriate care for Māori, Pacific, Asian, and other minoritised groups. Findings from this report contribute to the growing evidence of the urgent need to...

As a key profession within the mental health workforce, psychologists can offer affirmative services that lead to positive therapeutic outcomes for queer clients. This study examined how training programmes to become a registered psychologist in Aotearoa New Zealand currently provide content on working with queer clients. In 2022, all (N = 17) prog...

Issue Addressed This article explores how belonging can enhance well‐being for takatāpui (a traditional Māori term that embraces all Māori with diverse genders, sexualities and sex characteristics) who are trans and non‐binary across a range of contexts. Methods We drew data from the 2018 Counting Ourselves , a nationwide community‐based survey of...

Access to mental healthcare is undoubtedly of major importance for LGBT+ people worldwide , given the high prevalence of mental health difficulties due to minority stress exposures. This study drew mixed-method survey data from the community-based KAMI Survey (n = 696) to examine the enablers, barriers, and unmet needs experiences of LGBT+ individu...

Background: Few studies have assessed the role of legal protection and institutional trust as structural determinants of health among trans people. Aim: This study investigated the responses of a nationwide survey of trans people in Aotearoa New Zealand to examine the interplay among perceived legal protection, trust toward institutions, and psycho...

Universities in Aotearoa New Zealand have been placed under the spotlight for claims of systemic racism. Following the claims made in relation to the University of Waikato in 2020 and University of Otago in 2022, universities have the responsibility to create an inclusive environment where systemic racism is dismantled, to meaningfully partner with...

In Aotearoa New Zealand, employment inequities exist for minoritised ethnic groups (Māori, Pasifika, Asian, racialised migrants and refugees) in the forms of barriers to employment, occupation inequities, differences in promotion to leadership roles, ethnic pay gaps and discriminatory experiences at workplaces. In this review, we compiled Aotearoa...

In 1987, Max Abbott and Mason Durie published the 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' paper that outlined evidence of monocultural (Eurocentric) dominance within training programmes to become a registered psychologist. Four decades (2023) later we replicated the study and invited programme directors (n = 15) to comment on programme staff; Māori advisory bodie...

Rainbow research tends to prioritise gender and sexuality experiences over the racialised experiences of Asian rainbow young people. Informed by an intersectional lens, we employed a hope-based ecological framework to examine how multiple overlapping axes of oppression (e.g. cisgenderism, heterosexism and racism) shape the aspirations of these yout...

Aim: To review some common patterns of race talk in a sample of submissions made to the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill. This bill proposed a structural reform of the health system in Aotearoa New Zealand to address long-standing health inequities experienced by Māori, the Indigenous peoples, and other priority populations. Method: In a sample of 3,...

Unlabelled: Little is known about experiences and barriers for trans and non-binary (TGNB) people eligible for cervical screening in Aotearoa New Zealand. Aims: To identify uptake, barriers and reasons for delaying cervical cancer screening among TGNB people in Aotearoa. Materials and methods: The 2018 Counting Ourselves data on TGNB people as...

Background: Past studies have demonstrated better mental health and well-being among transgender youth who had accessed gender-affirming care. However, few existing studies have assessed unmet need for gender-affirming care as a social determinant of mental health inequities. Methods: Data on unmet need for gender-affirming care, distress and su...

Against the backdrop of the growing awareness of the detrimental effects of cisheterosexism on LGBTQ people’s health and well-being, this scoping review collates existing Malaysian research on the prevalence of cisheterosexist attitudes and associated contributing factors. Through electronic searches in three databases between 2011 and 2021, as wel...

Sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (SOGICE) are harmful practices, yet who suggests them to young people and what impacts are associated with these suggestions have received limited attention in the literature. The present study explored whether certain suggesters, and the frequency of categories of suggesters (including religiou...

Introduction: Internationally, trans women are disproportionately impacted by HIV, encounter specific barriers navigating safer sex and face inequities accessing HIV prevention, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Aotearoa/New Zealand (hereafter Aotearoa) was one of the first countries internationally to publicly fund PrEP in 2018, includin...

Aim: This study aims to report primary care experiences among transgender people in Aotearoa New Zealand based on quantitative and qualitative data from a nationwide community-based survey of transgender people. Methods: Subsamples with a usual general practitioner were employed from the 2018 Counting Ourselves Survey (n=871) and the 2018/19 New...

LGBTQIA+ people in Malaysia constitute a marginalised population as they are subjected to cisheterosexism that permeates every layer of society. Cisheterosexist ideologies in Malaysia find their eligibility on secular and religious laws that criminalise LGBTQIA+ identities, which have detrimental consequences on LGBTQIA+ people’s mental health and...

Introduction No study to date has reviewed the evidence base concerning prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidality amongst LGBTQ people in Southeast Asia. Method We carried out a systematic review of quantitative articles (n = 25) identified through electronic databases. Result Heightened prevalenc...

Purpose: This study sought to expand on previous scholarship focused on gender-concordant identity documents (IDs) as a social determinant of health. We examined the association between barriers to legal gender recognition and the mental health of transgender and nonbinary people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Methods: We used data from a 2018 nationwide...

Background: Past research has established that transgender people experience significant disparities in mental health outcomes and healthcare dissatisfaction compared with cisgender people, but more research is needed on how supportive healthcare interactions relate to the mental health of transgender people. Objectives: The 2 main aims of our a...

International studies have revealed stark mental health inequities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. While there is increasing awareness of higher prevalence of mental health difficulties among LGBTQ people in Malaysia, this issue has often been viewed through a cisheterosexist (cisgenderism and heterosexism)...

Issues addressed To examine mental health inequities, and social exclusion and isolation and protective factor differences between people of diverse genders and sexualities (lesbian/gay, bisexual, gender diverse, and takatāpui) and cisgender and heterosexual people in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Methods We employed data from the pooled probability sampl...

Based on their transphobic assumption that being transgender or nonbinary is pathological or otherwise undesirable, gender identity change efforts (GICE) attempt to make a person’s gender conform with their sex assigned at birth. While many professional bodies have noted that GICE practices are unethical, there has been little empirical research in...

Purpose: While studies on the relationship between social determinants and mental health among transgender people in Asia are increasing, there is a paucity of research on Asian transgender people living in Western countries. This study aimed to examine how social positions (gender, ethnicity, and migrant status) and social determinants of mental...

Globally, transgender people have been described as a highly marginalised population due to cisgenderism that delegitimises their gender identities and expressions. Despite robust evidence from many countries noting the association of discrimination and stigma for being transgender with heightened mental health risks, qualitative research that exam...

Introduction International evidence has found large mental health inequities among transgender people and demonstrates that mental health outcomes are associated with enacted stigma experiences and protective factors. This study aimed to examine the extent of associations of enacted stigma experiences specific to transgender people alongside protec...

This literature review presents an overview of consultation that has taken place on issues of diversity and inclusion in Aotearoa New Zealand. This review was undertaken by the Capturing the Diversity Dividend of Aotearoa/New Zealand (CaDDANZ) research programme on behalf of the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective. https://www.inclusiveaotearoa.nz/litera...

There has been little international research looking at differences in mental health across different age groups. This study examines mental health inequities between transgender people and the Aotearoa/New Zealand general population from youth to older adulthood. The 2018 Counting Ourselves survey (N = 1178) assessed participants’ mental health us...

The health and wellbeing of trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa New Zealand

The effects of health inequities on transgender (or trans) and gender diverse populations have been well documented internationally. Studies that compared the mental health of trans and gender diverse populations to cisgender populations found significant inequities for mental health problems. There has been very little research on this topic, howe...

The welcoming environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in Aotearoa/New Zealand is appealing for many international students. This article includes accounts from two Chinese students from Malaysia and China respectively. They share their encounters and understandings of Aotearoa LGBT culture in relation to their Chinese i...

Chinese people have had long history of settlement in Aotearoa. This has accelerated in recent years so that now 3% of New Zealand residents identify as Chinese. As a minority group, the Chinese community has always been subjected to racism or racial discrimination by those at the dominant position. The current research is informed by the increased...