Mental Health Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth: An Exploration of Effects During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is raising concerns about mental health across the population. Because transgender and gender-diverse youth have particular mental health vulnerabilities, this study examines their mental health challenges during the early stages of the pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the early COVID-19 pandemic period, which included 29 transgender and gender-diverse youth and 593 cisgender youth. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact tests, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to understand the differential impact of COVID-19 on mental health and related constructs. Results: Results show that transgender and gender diverse youth are more greatly affected by mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic than cisgender youth (p = .001). They report more mental health and substance use service disruptions (p < .001) and less social support from their families (p = .007) compared with cisgender youth. A large proportion (63.0%) report unmet needs for mental health and substance use during the early pandemic period, compared with 27.9% of cisgender youth (p = .008). Conclusions: Transgender and gender-diverse youth constitute a vulnerable population during the COVID-19 pandemic and are experiencing substantial mental health impacts, in conjunction with high levels of service disruption and less support from family members. Researchers and service planners are encouraged to engage directly with transgender and gender diverse youth to understand how their support needs evolve over the course of the pandemic and how services can be adapted to meet their needs. Public Significance Statement Because the COVID-19 pandemic is raising concerns about mental health, especially among vulnerable populations, we examined mental health during COVID-19 among youth with cisgender versus transgender and gender-diverse identities. Results show that transgender and gender-diverse youth are experiencing substantial negative mental health impacts from the pandemic, more so than cisgender youth. They also report more mental health and substance use service disruptions and less social support from their families compared with cisgender youth. Researchers and service planners are encouraged to work directly with transgender and gender-diverse youth to understand how services can be adapted to meet their needs.