Surveying Psychological Wellbeing in a Post-Pandemic World: The Role of Family and Social Support for LGBTQ+ and Cisgender Heterosexual Adults in the UK.

Publication date: Aug 16, 2024

Studies have emphasized the importance of social support in mitigating the relationship between psychological distress and mental health effects, with family of origin and family of formation providing key sources of social support over the life course. However, LGBTQ+ people may experience family of origin relationships as a source of distress, while partners and friends may buffer the relationship between minority stress and psychological wellbeing. Through our online survey (March-June 2022), which was conducted when the social restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted in the UK, we considered the association between psychological wellbeing and sources of social support by sampling n = 1330 LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual adults. LGBTQ+ adults generally experienced poorer psychological wellbeing outcomes than did cisgender heterosexual people. For LGBTQ+ adults, social support from family of origin, a special person, or friends was not associated with depression, anxiety, or stress levels, but social support from family or a special person was positively associated with higher levels of life satisfaction. Our findings indicate the importance of considering negative as well as positive wellbeing.

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Concepts Keywords
Healthcare anxiety
June COVID-19 pandemic
Lgbtq depression
Pandemic LGBTQ+
life satisfaction
psychological wellbeing
social support
stress

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH psychological distress
disease MESH COVID-19 pandemic
drug DRUGBANK Coenzyme M
disease MESH loneliness
disease VO population
disease MESH alcohol abuse
disease MESH suicide
drug DRUGBANK Etoperidone
disease MESH neuroticism
disease MESH psychosis
disease MESH Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
disease VO frequency
disease MESH PTSD
disease VO document
disease MESH mental illness
disease MESH psychological stress
disease VO time
disease VO USA

Original Article

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