Abstract
Empirical evidence demonstrates mental health disparities between sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM) compared with cisgender heterosexual individuals. SGM individuals report elevated rates of emotional distress, symptoms related to mood and anxiety disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Social support is inversely related to psychiatric symptoms, regardless of SGM status. The COVID-19 pandemic—with its associated limited social interactions—represents an unprecedented period of acute distress with potential reductions in accessibility of social support, which might be of particular concern for SGM individuals' mental well-being. In the present study, we explored the extent to which potential changes in mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, worry, perceived stress, positive and negative affect) throughout the duration of the pandemic were related to differences in perceptions of social support and engagement in virtual social activity, as a function of SGM status. Utilizing a large sample of US adults (N = 1,014; 18% reported SGM status), we assessed psychiatric symptoms, perceptions of social isolation, and amount of time spent socializing virtually at 3 time windows during the pandemic (between March 21 and May 21). Although SGM individuals reported greater levels of depression compared with non-SGM individuals at all 3 time points, there was no interaction between time and SGM status. Across all participants, mental health outcomes improved across time. Perceived social isolation was associated with poorer mental health outcomes. Further, time spent engaging in virtual socialization was associated with reduced depression, but only for those in self-reported quarantine. We discuss these results in terms of the nature of our sample and its impact on the generalizability of these findings to other SGM samples as well as directions for future research aimed at understanding potential health disparities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented in most of our lifetimes and has had far reaching effects worldwide
There was a main effect of Time on negative affect, depression, stress, and worry such that each of these metrics decreased over the course of the three assessment windows
There was a main effect of sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM) on depression (p < 0.001), but the SGM and nonSGM cohorts did not differ on reports of affect, stress, or worry
Summary
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented in most of our lifetimes and has had far reaching effects worldwide. At the time of this publication, we are only beginning to grasp the full extent of this international public health crisis With this unique time in human history comes the realization that we have little understanding of the differential impact of large-scale public health measures being implemented. Apart from the general distress related to the COVID-19 virus itself and potential morbidity, psychosocial disruptions and alienation resultant from measures designed to contain the spread of the disease hold the potential to further compromise mental health through curtailed opportunities to engage in social activities. These deleterious effects might not universally affect all persons in equal magnitude
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