Psychiatric impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on U.S. sexual and gender minority young adults.
Psychiatry Res
; 299: 113855, 2021 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1131763
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented isolation and mental health effects; few studies have characterized this in sexual and gender (SGM) minority young people, a particularly vulnerable population. This cross-sectional study sought to analyze the mental health outcomes of SGM young people (18-30 years) during the early stages of the pandemic in the United States (April 13-June 18, 2020) and to explore how factors related to SGM identity impact mental health, such as lifetime discrimination, family support, and pre-existing mental health conditions. An online survey collected socio-demographic information and assessed for both mental health (depression (PHQ-8), anxiety (GAD-7), PTSD (PCL-C)) and COVID-19-related outcomes (COVID-19-related worries and COVID-19-related grief). Out of 981 participants, 320 (32.6%) identified as SGM. SGM had significantly higher levels of depression and PTSD symptoms as well as COVID-19-related worries and grief than non-SGM, even after controlling for family support, lifetime discrimination, and pre-existing mental health diagnoses. These findings suggest that not only has the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted SGM mental health, but that minority stress factors cannot fully explain this impact. Thus, clinicians and societal stakeholders (schools, employers, policymakers) must think beyond traditional minority stress factors (family support, discrimination) and pre-pandemic disparities to support this vulnerable population as the pandemic progresses.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Sexual Behavior
/
Sex Factors
/
Mental Health
/
Sexual and Gender Minorities
/
Global Burden of Disease
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychiatry Res
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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