Qualitative Findings on the Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Australian Gay and Bisexual Men: Community Belonging and Mental Well-being

Abstract

COVID-19 may threaten the already poor mental health outcomes of Australian gay and bisexual men and cut ties to important social/sexual networks and community. Qualitative research into the experiences of gay and bisexual men during COVID-19 regulations is currently sparse. We report on 489 responses to a qualitative free-text question asking Australian gay and bisexual men about the impacts of COVID-19 during April 2020. Issues pertinent to gay and bisexual men include lost ties to gay and bisexual social/sexual communities, spaces, and activities, which can reduce a sense of belonging to important sexual identity spaces, as well as significant mental well-being vulnerabilities. Reminiscing the collective response to HIV/AIDS, findings reinforce the value of gay and bisexual community organizations, spaces, and networks as supports for gay and bisexual men and emphasize the need for delivering mental health services.

“The Global Sense of Disaster was Synchronized With my Own Disaster”: Implications of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Wellbeing of Survivors of Sexual Violence

“…First, given the exacerbated risk and the denial of other coping measures revealed in this study, it is necessary to both increase access and adapts services by advocates, therapists, and helpline practitioners. A wide array of services need to be made available, including independent advocacy and peer support, and mentoring services, and new ways need to be developed to reach out to survivors to enable the beneficial implications for their mental health to be related to a sense of community belonging ( Philpot at al., 2021 ). Accordingly, it is critical that services remain available despite social distance restrictions to prevent deterioration in the condition of survivors as well as secondary traumatic stress and burnout among counselors and volunteers working with them, given the shared trauma ( Gueta et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Although COVID-19 may have a severely adverse impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of all individuals, those who are vulnerable or marginalized may be particularly impacted ( Kamin et al, 2020 ; Petrowski et al, 2021 ; Philpot at al., 2021 )—specifically those with pre-pandemic trauma experiences such as SV. SV is a significant and severe trauma, causing multiple, long-term negative outcomes, such as PTSD, depression, substance abuse, suicidality, repeated victimization, and chronic physical health problems ( Amado et al, 2015 ; Campbell et al, 2009 ; Fergusson et al, 2013 ).…”

Experiencing the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Whilst Living With Cancer

“…Despite Australia’s relative success in limiting the spread of the virus, the COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial political, social, and economic consequences. 1 Australia entered a national lockdown and subsequent state-level lockdowns in 2020, along with the swift shutdown of two major industries, international tourism and higher education, which lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses, a recession, and increases in mental health problems nationally (Fisher et al, 2020; Grozinger & Parsons, 2020; Philpot et al, 2021; Smith, 2020). Even with its avoidance of total crisis, subsequent outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in Australia have periodically reinvigorated the specter of pandemic, including its social isolation, fracturing, and inequities, into the present day.…”

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Its Impacts in a Cohort of Gay and Bisexual Men in Australia

“…For GBM, gay social engagement has previously been associated with HIV testing [ 24 ], and with uptake of PrEP [ 25 ], becoming normalized behaviors, particularly in relation to reducing risk of HIV transmission during sex. For GBM, gay community networks offer supportive frameworks in responding to the challenges of COVID-19 [ 26 ], and may be rapidly normalizing COVID-19 vaccination as well, and perhaps with at least some similar motivations.…”