Anxiety, depression and social support of LGBTIQ during COVID-19 in Kerala, India

Abstract

Background: It is reported that the marginalised and underprivileged sections suffer bitter consequences in the event of calamities and pandemics. The present study aims at assessing the level of anxiety, depression and social support of the LGBTIQ communities during the COVID-19. Since the ‘LGBTIQ’ community is an integral part of society, it is necessary to study these psychological dimensions in the face of multiple waves of the pandemic in the country. Aim: The study aims to measure the anxiety, depression and social support of LGBTIQ during COVID-19 in Kerala. Method: The study followed descriptive research design and using snowball sampling, total of 106 respondents were interviewed from the urban and rural areas of Kerala. The researchers used the ‘DASS21’ to assess anxiety and depression and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support to assess social support. Results: Approximately half (44.3%) of the participants were experiencing severe or extremely severe levels of depression. At the same time, many of them had episodes of anxiety disorder at much higher levels (41.5%) than the other members of society. Perceived social support was negatively correlated with depression, anxiety and stress, while depression, anxiety and stress showed a positive correlation with each other. Conclusion: Common mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and stress were largely prevalent in the LGBTIQ community during COVID-19, who found the social support inadequate and suffered from other social and economic problems. There is a need to address these issues among this population.