An exploration of psychological distress, employment, and housing among transgender and gender diverse individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals are faced with various societal factors that contribute to health disparities. As COVID-19 spreads, health disparities that existed prior to the pandemic have become exacerbated. The current study aims to address factors that may be negatively impacting TGD individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic by exploring their experiences related to symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, employment, and housing. TGD participants (N = 342) were recruited from an online participant recruitment platform and answered questions related to their psychological well-being and changes in employment and housing since the start of the pandemic. Adverse changes in employment since the start of the pandemic were reported by almost 1/3 of participants and were associated with higher depression and anxiety. Changes in housing were reported by almost 1/4 of participants and were associated with higher anxiety. Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or receiving a COVID-19 diagnosis were also associated with higher anxiety. Findings indicate TGD individuals who experienced changes in employment and housing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic experience greater levels of psychological distress. Findings may inform mental health providers and policymakers on the repercussions the pandemic has had on TGD individuals. Public Significance StatementThe current study explored the ways that housing and employment instability brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to heightened psychological distress among a sample of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals collected using an online survey platform. Our findings indicate that TGD individuals experienced heightened levels of psychological distress directly related to employment and housing instability which is a crucial and timely concern given that TGD individuals experienced greater psychological distress, unemployment, and housing instability relative to the general population prior to the pandemic. Receiving a COVID-19 diagnosis or experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 also predicted heightened levels of psychological distress. It is recommended that additional TGD-specific protections be implemented and expanded upon in order to meet the current and impending needs of TGD individuals.

COVID-19 impact on the psychological health of Latinx transgender and non-binary individuals in mainland United States and Puerto Rico: a mixed-methods study

“…Findings evidence that although most of LTNB participants were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple aspects of their lives, those living in Puerto Rico experienced these differently when compared to those in mainland US. Similar to other studies, mental health challenges were identified, including increased worry about contracting COVID-19 [5,15]. Moreover, feelings of stress, anxiety, sadness, and hopelessness were prevalent among the sample regarding the current pandemic.…”

“…Evidence shows the particularly detrimental psychosocial and emotional consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for TNB, including increased unemployment and lack of secure housing [15], increased anxiety and depression [16], unmet mental health needs [17], increased use of alcohol [18], and higher prevalence of suicide thoughts [19,20]. Some of these disparities can be explained by the social determinants of health influencing the health status of minoritized TNB individuals [15,21]. Nevertheless, little is known about their impact among TNB with multiple marginalized intersecting identities, such as Latinx trans and non-binary individuals (LTNB).…”

“…However, there is still a scarcity of empirical studies examining the psychosocial impact of the pandemic, particularly among LTGNB individuals. The few available studies have only focused on transwomen [29] and sexual minority men [18]; have relied on reduced samples of Latinx individuals [15,30], or are non-empirical commentaries [31]. This study fills this gap by focusing on a sample of LTNB individuals from mainland United States and Puerto Rico.…”