Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Transgender and Gender Nonbinary Individuals Engaged in a Longitudinal Cohort Study

While the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, no empiric US-based research has focused specifically on transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) people. We examined the pandemic's impact on an established longitudinal cohort of TGNB individu...

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Published inJournal of homosexuality Vol. 68; no. 4; pp. 592 - 611
Main Authors Kidd, Jeremy D., Jackman, Kasey B., Barucco, Renato, Dworkin, Jordan D., Dolezal, Curtis, Navalta, Theresa V., Belloir, Joseph, Bockting, Walter O.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Routledge 21.03.2021
Subjects
Adult
anxiety
Cohort Studies
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
COVID-19 - psychology
depression
Female
gender-affirming medical care
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Pandemics
SARS-CoV-2
Transgender Persons - psychology
Transsexualism
United States - epidemiology
United States
COVID-19
anxiety
depression
gender-affirming medical care
mental health
transgender
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Summary:While the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, no empiric US-based research has focused specifically on transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) people. We examined the pandemic's impact on an established longitudinal cohort of TGNB individuals (N = 208) by administering an online survey between March-June 2020. We used multivariable linear regression to examine reduced LGBTQ/TGNB community support and disruptions in gender-affirming health care as predictors of psychological distress during the pandemic. We found that the pandemic exacerbated ongoing mental health disparities for TGNB individuals. Furthermore, reduced LGBTQ/TGNB support was associated with increased psychological distress during the pandemic. Interruption and/or delay in gender-affirming health care was not associated with increased psychological distress during the pandemic. Special attention is needed to address the unique ways in which TGNB individuals were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes increasing access to LGBTQ/TGNB community support and addressing long-standing health disparities.
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ISSN:0091-8369
1540-3602
DOI:10.1080/00918369.2020.1868185