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Veney - Final Review 2-16-2025.pdf (1.97 MB)

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Veney - Amy Feb 16 2025 (3).pdf (1.55 MB)

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Abstract Header

"The Body Keeps the Score": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Health of Nonbinary and Gender Diverse People

Veney, Amy J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1740828817577816

Abstract Details

2025, PHD, Kent State University, College of Nursing.
Nonbinary and gender diverse (NBGD) people are individuals whose gender identity is different than their sex assigned at birth and is between, outside, or beyond the gender binary. NBGD people are a disparate population that experiences stigmatization, discrimination, and poor mental and physical health at much higher rates than the general population and their binary transgender peers. Approximately 1.2 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) adults living in the United States (US) identify as nonbinary or gender diverse. Nursing science has failed to explore the health of, or disparities experienced by, NBGD people. Few studies have examined the experiences of NBGD people separate from binary transgender individuals. This constructivist interpretative phenomenological analysis study sought to address this gap by exploring how NBGD individuals understand and experience health. Seven NBGD adults assigned female at birth completed two semi-structured interviews and were asked to journal between interviews. The open-ended interview questions inquired about the participants’ definitions of health, factors that impact their health, and how they see their future health. The Body Keeps the Score emerged as the predominant way the participants experience health with gender and trauma as the two most significant factors. Highlighted in their gender experiences was the unique intersection of cisgenderism, transgenderism, sexism, and the invisibility of NBGD identities. The pervasiveness of traumas underscored the need to expand on Minority Stress Theory by considering non-gender related traumas and other intersectional experiences that impact NBGD individuals’ health. Implications for nursing practice include acknowledgement and validation of diverse gender identities, more inclusive healthcare nomenclature and environments, and trauma-informed care that recognizes the varied and often hidden traumas that people carry.
Pamela Stephenson, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Amy Petrinec, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Versie Johnson-Mallard, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Mollie Merryman, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
164 p.
Gender; Gender Studies; Health; Health Care; Health Sciences; Mental Health; Nursing
Nonbinary gender diverse; health; gender; trauma; intersectionality; interpretative phenomenological analysis

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Veney, A. J. (2025). "The Body Keeps the Score": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Health of Nonbinary and Gender Diverse People [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1740828817577816

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Veney, Amy. "The Body Keeps the Score": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Health of Nonbinary and Gender Diverse People. 2025. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1740828817577816.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Veney, Amy. ""The Body Keeps the Score": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Health of Nonbinary and Gender Diverse People." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2025. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1740828817577816

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1740828817577816
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© 2025, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.