Mental well-being, social support, and the unique experiences of transgender and nonbinary people during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a myriad of novel stressors, and early research suggests the mental well-being of many has suffered as a result. Transgender and nonbinary (TN) people in particular may have experienced additional stressors related to their gender identity, and may not have had access to minority coping resources that could normally buffer against experiencing negative mental health outcomes. In May 2020, 1160 cisgender heterosexual, 369 cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ), and 195 TN people completed a survey on their mental well-being and experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also asked TN participants about how their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) identity intersected with their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that TN participants experienced more psychological distress and less social support than cisgender heterosexual participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also found that social support was associated with less psychological distress among TN participants during the pandemic; however, LGBQ+ and TN community connectedness were not related to distress. Using inductive thematic analysis, we summarize TN participants’ descriptions of the ways that their LGBTQ+ identities intersected with the pandemic to change their access to gender-affirming services and behaviours, their home and public life, and their experiences of affirming social support and/or LGBTQ+ community connectedness. Together, our findings provide valuable insights into the experiences of TN people during the pandemic and highlight the ways in which our “normal” society is difficult for TN people to inhabit.