Psychosocial Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People Living in Portugal and Brazil—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Not many studies have been reported from Portugal or Brazil to date, regarding the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people, especially from a qualitative perspective. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 65 self-identified LGB individuals from Portugal and Brazil participated in this study. Thirty-two participants were from Portugal and 33 from Brazil. The average age was 34.48 years (standard deviation = 11.66), ranging from 19 to 67. We used an online interview approach in an asynchronous format. All study respondents completed a structured inquiry consisting of a short section of sociodemographic questions and a single open-ended question: “As a lesbian, gay, bisexual (or other) self-identified person, please elaborate on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your life.” Results: The thematic analysis of participants’ responses revealed 9 recurring themes, encompassing 18 subcategories to occur: mental health (depression, anxiety, fear, anger, and loneliness), isolation (social distancing and leisure impediments), relationships (family and friends), work-related problems, education-related problems, financial problems, changes (behavioral changes and opportunity to grow), coping (seeking support, accessing information and physical activities), and LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) topics (health barriers, going back into the closet, pride celebration events, and online dating). Conclusions: Our results provide voice to LGB Portuguese and Brazilian people during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrating specific challenges exacerbated by stigma and sexual discrimination amplified by preexistent social inequalities.