TY - JOUR
T1 - Examining COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Economic and Household Stress and Its Association With Mental Health, Alcohol, and Substance Use in a National Sample of Latinx Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Adults
AU - Cerezo, Alison
AU - Rivera, David B.
AU - Sanchez, Delida
AU - Torres, Lucas
AU - Chavez, Fiorella L.Carlos
AU - Drabble, Laurie A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Psychological Association
PY - 2023/5/18
Y1 - 2023/5/18
N2 - Objective: Sexual minority adults of Latinx descent faced compounded intersectional stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic across socioeconomic and health domains. Latinx people have experienced some of the highest COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates in the United States in addition to significant economic challenges. Yet, current data have not observed the unique pandemic-related experiences of sexual minority Latinx (SML) adults. We examined sexual identity differences in economic and household stress, social support, mental health symptomatology (depression, anxiety), alcohol, and substance use among sexual minority and nonsexual minority Latinx adults in the United States. Method: Primary data were collected via the AmeriSpeak panel, a national probability sample of U.S.-based 2,286 Latinx adults [sexual minority =.34% (n = 465)]. Datawere collected from November 2020 to January 2021, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: SML adults endorsed higher levels of economic and household stress, mental health symptomatology, and alcohol and substance use than nonsexual minority Latinx adults. Economic stress was associated with increased mental health symptomatology, alcohol, and substance use among SML adults. Social support moderated the association between economic stress and mental health symptomatology and substance use, but not alcohol use. Conclusion: Findings highlighted unique intersectional considerations among SML adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the importance of social support and the negative toll of economic stress on mental health and substance use.
AB - Objective: Sexual minority adults of Latinx descent faced compounded intersectional stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic across socioeconomic and health domains. Latinx people have experienced some of the highest COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality rates in the United States in addition to significant economic challenges. Yet, current data have not observed the unique pandemic-related experiences of sexual minority Latinx (SML) adults. We examined sexual identity differences in economic and household stress, social support, mental health symptomatology (depression, anxiety), alcohol, and substance use among sexual minority and nonsexual minority Latinx adults in the United States. Method: Primary data were collected via the AmeriSpeak panel, a national probability sample of U.S.-based 2,286 Latinx adults [sexual minority =.34% (n = 465)]. Datawere collected from November 2020 to January 2021, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: SML adults endorsed higher levels of economic and household stress, mental health symptomatology, and alcohol and substance use than nonsexual minority Latinx adults. Economic stress was associated with increased mental health symptomatology, alcohol, and substance use among SML adults. Social support moderated the association between economic stress and mental health symptomatology and substance use, but not alcohol use. Conclusion: Findings highlighted unique intersectional considerations among SML adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the importance of social support and the negative toll of economic stress on mental health and substance use.
KW - COVID-19
KW - LGBTQ
KW - Latinx
KW - alcohol use
KW - substance use
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U2 - 10.1037/cdp0000583
DO - 10.1037/cdp0000583
M3 - Article
C2 - 37199960
AN - SCOPUS:85166970728
SN - 1099-9809
VL - 30
SP - 385
EP - 394
JO - Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
JF - Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
IS - 2
ER -