{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,9]],"date-time":"2026-04-09T20:28:22Z","timestamp":1775766502121,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":66,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,22]],"date-time":"2020-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1608595200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Empirical evidence demonstrates mental health disparities between sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM) compared with cisgender heterosexual individuals. SGM individuals report elevated rates of emotional distress, symptoms related to mood and anxiety disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Social support is inversely related to psychiatric symptoms, regardless of SGM status. The COVID-19 pandemic\u2014with its associated limited social interactions\u2014represents an unprecedented period of acute distress with potential reductions in accessibility of social support, which might be of particular concern for SGM individuals' mental well-being. In the present study, we explored the extent to which potential changes in mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, worry, perceived stress, positive and negative affect) throughout the duration of the pandemic were related to differences in perceptions of social support and engagement in virtual social activity, as a function of SGM status. Utilizing a large sample of US adults (<jats:italic>N<\/jats:italic> = 1,014; 18% reported SGM status), we assessed psychiatric symptoms, perceptions of social isolation, and amount of time spent socializing virtually at 3 time windows during the pandemic (between March 21 and May 21). Although SGM individuals reported greater levels of depression compared with non-SGM individuals at all 3 time points, there was no interaction between time and SGM status. Across all participants, mental health outcomes improved across time. Perceived social isolation was associated with poorer mental health outcomes. Further, time spent engaging in virtual socialization was associated with reduced depression, but only for those in self-reported quarantine. We discuss these results in terms of the nature of our sample and its impact on the generalizability of these findings to other SGM samples as well as directions for future research aimed at understanding potential health disparities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2020.590318","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,22]],"date-time":"2020-12-22T08:08:37Z","timestamp":1608624517000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":38,"title":["Comparing the Impact of COVID-19-Related Social Distancing on Mood and Psychiatric Indicators in Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) and Non-SGM Individuals"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Craig","family":"Rodriguez-Seijas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eric C.","family":"Fields","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ryan","family":"Bottary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sarah M.","family":"Kark","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael R.","family":"Goldstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth A.","family":"Kensinger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jessica D.","family":"Payne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tony J.","family":"Cunningham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During the COVID-19 Outbreak","year":"2020"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbi.2020.04.031","article-title":"The differential psychological distress of populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"49","author":"Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Brain"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"689","DOI":"10.1007\/s10900-020-00853-5","article-title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social support among Adult Egyptians","volume":"45","author":"El-Zoghby","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Comm Health"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3165","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17093165","article-title":"A Nationwide survey of psychological distress among Italian people during the COVID-19 pandemic: immediate psychological responses and associated factors","volume":"17","author":"Mazza","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"B5","volume-title":"LGBT Poverty in the United States","author":"Badgett","year":"2019"},{"key":"B6","unstructured":"ChoiSK\n            WilsonBD\n            SheltonJ\n            GatesGJ\n          Serving Our Youth 2015: The Needs and Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Experiencing Homelessness2015"},{"key":"B7","unstructured":"BrownTNT\n            RomeroAP\n            GatesGJ\n          Food Insecurity and SNAP Participation in the LGBT Community2016"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S239","DOI":"10.1037\/tra0000837","article-title":"LGBTQ populations: Psychologically vulnerable communities in the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"12","author":"Salerno","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychol Trauma Theory Res Pract Policy"},{"key":"B9","year":"2020","journal-title":"The Lives and Livelihoods of Many in the LGBTQ Community are at Risk Amidst COVID-19 Crisis"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"989","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1360-0443.2004.00759.x","article-title":"Prevalence of non-medical drug use and dependence among homosexually active men and women in the US population","volume":"99","author":"Cochran","year":"2004","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1037\/11261-007","article-title":"Estimating prevalence of mental and substance-using disorders among lesbians and gay men from existing national health data","volume-title":"Contemporary Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychology. 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