Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Resources for 2SLGBTQ+ Youth during the COVID-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Bruce Baskerville¹  Iman Musani²  Robert Schwartz²  Michael Chaiton²  Alex Abramovich²  Daniel Grace²  Carmen H. Logie³  Mari Pullman⁴ 

[1] Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9, Canada;Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada;Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada;Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada;

关键词: 2SLGBTQ+;    COVID-19;    youth;    pandemic;    mental health;    substance use;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph182111315

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Previous research has established that gender and sexual minority (2SLGBTQ+) youth experience worse mental health and substance use outcomes than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Research suggests that mental health and substance use concerns have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study used self-reported online survey responses from 1404 Canadian 2SLGBTQ+ youth which included, but were not limited to, questions regarding previous mental health experiences, diagnoses, and substance use. Additional questions assessed whether participants had expressed a need for mental health and/or substance use resources since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) and whether they had experienced barriers when accessing this care. Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine associations between variables and expressing a need for resources as well as experiencing barriers to accessing these resources. Bivariate analyses revealed multiple sociodemographic, mental health, and substance use variables significantly associated with both expressing a need for and experiencing barriers to care. Multinomial regression analysis revealed gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and level of educational attainment to be significantly correlated with both cases. This study supports growing research on the mental health-related harms that have been experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and could be used to inform tailored intervention plans for the 2SLGBTQ+ youth population.

【 授权许可】

Unknown