Emotional work shapes social media support practices among transgender youth

Transgender youth often face exclusion from traditional therapeutic, educational, and community spaces, placing them at greater risk of mental health distress and social isolation. In this context, social media platforms such as Reddit, Discord, and Facebook have become vital, self-constructed support environments. This study explores how participation in online trans-specific support groups constitutes an emotional occupation—providing affective regulation, identity affirmation, and communal resilience. Using an interpretive qualitative approach, this study analyzes digital narratives and observed interactions across selected online communities, including trans and non-binary support groups on Reddit and Discord. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine how users described their engagement in these spaces and the occupational meanings they attached to them. Four themes emerged: (1) occupation as survival; (2) emotional anchoring through shared identity; (3) temporal rhythms of digital belonging; and (4) navigating digital safety and boundary-setting. Online support networks serve as therapeutic occupations for trans youth, embedded with emotional, social, and survivalist dimensions. Recognizing these occupations challenges conventional frameworks of therapy, expands digital occupational theory, and calls for inclusive, justice-driven occupational science.