Gender Diverse College Students Exhibit Higher Psychological Distress Than Male and Female Peers During the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

• Published in: Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity 2021-06, Vol.8 (2), p.238-244
• Main Authors: Hunt, Cynthia, Gibson, Gregory C., Vander Horst, Anthony, Cleveland, Kimberly A., Wawrosch, Craig, Granot, Maya, Kuhn, Tyler, Woolverton, Christopher J., Hughes, Joel W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: College Students; Coronavirus; Distress; Female; Gender Nonconforming; Human; Human Sex Differences; Male; Mental Health; Pandemics; Peers; Resilience (Psychological); Test Construction
• ISSN: 2329-0382; 2329-0390
• DOI: 10.1037/sgd0000461

The ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may be the greatest global biopsychosocial stressor in living memory, and there is widespread anticipation of a "mental health pandemic." Hardly mentioned, if ever, during the current COVID-19 pandemic is the effect on gender diverse (GD) populations. Using a novel approach, we address this gap in the current literature by comparing resilience, psychological distress, and perceived risk in a sample of college students at a public, R1, 4-year university. The survey included demographic questions, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and self-reported risk of contracting COVID-19. GD individuals (n = 83) were matched with male (n = 83) and female (n = 83) peers on survey cohort (1, 2, or 3), White versus Non-White, age category, and student status (undergraduate vs. graduate). GD individuals reported lower psychological resilience (M = 2.88, SD = 0.93) than both male (M = 3.57, SD = 0.81) and female (M = 3.37, SD = 0.83) students, higher psychological distress (M = 12.33, SD = 6.04) than both males (M = 6.7, SD = 5.76) and females (M = 8.70, SD = 6.57), and similar perceived risk (p = .54). Nearly half (48.2%) of GD individuals were above the cutoff for severe psychological distress. During the unprecedented events of the novel coronavirus pandemic, students in higher education settings are facing tremendous biopsychosocial stress. GD students had very high levels of psychological distress relative to their male and female peers during the pandemic and may need additional support and expanded access to treatment. Public Significance Statement Findings of a university community survey conducted during the novel coronavirus pandemic indicated that gender diverse (GD) students had very high levels of psychological distress. As the pandemic unfolded, GD students' distress was higher than that of their male and female peers, which was partly due to lower psychological resilience. As students begin returning to campuses for the Fall 2020 semester, GD students may be at increased risk of mental disorders and may need additional mental health support.