Symposia
LGBQT+
Francesca Kassing, Ph.D.
University of Nevada, Reno
Summerville, South Carolina
Filiz Sapin, PhD
Administrative Faculty
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Yue Huang, PhD
Clinical Faculty
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Yani Dickens, PhD
Director, Counseling Services
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Jacqueline Pistorello, PhD
Faculty Emerita
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Research has consistently demonstrated that sexual minorities face higher rates of interpersonal trauma compared to their heterosexual counterparts (McKay et al., 2017). Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) households were found to have experienced greater negative impacts (e.g., financial hardship, unemployment, and food insecurity) than heterosexual populations (Drabble & Eliason, 2021). This research has also suggested that specific sexual minority identities (e.g., bisexual individuals) may be at greater risk for mental health disparities, highlighting the importance of examining the impact of trauma and stressors among distinct sexual minority identities (McNamara et al., 2018).
Thus, the current study examined the differential impact of interpersonal trauma and COVID-19-specific stressors among treatment-seeking college students of diverse sexual orientations. Participants included 1,162 students seeking treatment at their local university counseling center during the 2020-2021 academic year. Approximately two thirds of the sample identified as heterosexual (66.0%), with 34.0% identifying as a sexual minority. The racial and ethnic breakdown was as follows: 56.2% identifying as white, 15.4% as Hispanic/Latinx, 13.7% as Asian American/Asian, and 7.6% as multi-racial. Participants were asked about COVID-19-related stressors (e.g., isolation, health concerns, finance, etc.) as well experiences of interpersonal trauma during their intake appointment.
Sexual minority students reported significantly more COVID-19-related stressors (F(1, 1133) = [23.89], p < 0.001, η2 = .02) and interpersonal traumas (F(1, 1133) = [28.99], p < 0.001, η2 = .02) compared to heterosexual students. When examining specific sexual identities, bisexual, pansexual, and questioning students reported more COVID-19-related stressors than heterosexual participants (F(8, 1126) = [4.67], p < 0.001, η2 = .03) and bisexual students reported more interpersonal traumas (F(8, 1126) = [4.44], p < 0.001, η2 = .03) than heterosexual participants.
Results from this study highlight that polysexual college students, and particularly bisexual college students, may be at higher risk for exposure to interpersonal trauma and COVID-19-related stressors. These findings have important implications for screening for and treating mental health concerns that often accompany or result from adverse event exposure.