Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Sussex, Essex House, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QQ, UK.
EPPI-Centre, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022 Oct;57(10):1979-1986. doi: 10.1007/s00127-022-02291-1. Epub 2022 May 4.
Young adults who self-identify as a sexual minority may have been particularly harmed by the consequences of lockdown, closure of educational institutions, and social distancing measures as they are likely to have been confined in households that may not be supportive of their sexual orientation. We examine inequalities in the mental health and self-rated health of sexual minority young adults, compared to their heterosexual peers, at the height of lockdown restrictions in the UK.
We analysed data from singletons who participated in waves 6, 7, and the wave 1 COVID-19 survey (n = 2211) of the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of infants born in the UK between September 2000 and January 2002. Regression models compared the mental health, self-rated health, and social support of sexual minority young adults to that of their heterosexual peers.
One in four young adults self-identified with a sexual orientation or attraction other than completely heterosexual. Sexual minority young adults had significantly lower levels of social support (β = - 0.38, SE 0.08), poorer self-rated health (OR 3.91, 95% CI 2.41-6.34), and higher levels of psychological distress (β = 2.26, SE 0.34), anxiety (β = 0.40, SE 0.15), and loneliness (β = 0.66, SE 0.18) when compared to heterosexual young adults.
Sexual minority young adults in the UK have been detrimentally impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, experiencing inequalities in mental health, self-rated health, and social support when compared to heterosexual young adults. Implications for policy and practice include a stronger provision of safe spaces in the community and in institutions, and policies that address marginalisation and harassment.
自认为性少数群体的年轻人可能因封锁、教育机构关闭和社交距离措施的后果而受到特别伤害，因为他们可能被限制在可能不支持他们性取向的家庭中。我们研究了在英国封锁限制最严格时，性少数群体年轻成年人与异性恋同龄人相比在心理健康和自我评估健康方面的不平等。
我们分析了参加千禧年队列研究（一项针对 2000 年 9 月至 2002 年 1 月期间在英国出生的婴儿的全国代表性纵向研究）第六波、第七波和第一波 COVID-19 调查的单身人群的数据（n=2211）。回归模型比较了性少数群体年轻成年人的心理健康、自我评估健康和社会支持与异性恋同龄人相比的情况。
四分之一的年轻人自我认同为除完全异性恋以外的性取向或吸引力。性少数群体年轻成年人的社会支持水平明显较低（β=−0.38，SE 0.08），自我评估健康状况较差（OR 3.91，95%CI 2.41-6.34），心理困扰程度较高（β=2.26，SE 0.34），焦虑程度较高（β=0.40，SE 0.15），孤独感较高（β=0.66，SE 0.18），与异性恋年轻成年人相比。
英国的性少数群体年轻成年人受到冠状病毒大流行的不利影响，在心理健康、自我评估健康和社会支持方面与异性恋年轻成年人存在不平等。对政策和实践的影响包括在社区和机构中提供更多安全空间的政策，以及解决边缘化和骚扰的政策。
