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

Michael Chaiton, Iman Musani, Mari Pullman, Carmen H. Logie, Alex Abramovich, Daniel Grace, Robert Schwartz and Bruce Baskerville
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Michael Chaiton: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Iman Musani: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Mari Pullman: Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada
Carmen H. Logie: Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
Alex Abramovich: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Daniel Grace: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Robert Schwartz: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Bruce Baskerville: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ottawa, ON K1A 0W9, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-20

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: 2SLGBTQ+; COVID-19; youth; pandemic; mental health; substance use; gender minority; sexual minority (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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