Social Support and Attachment to Pets Moderate the Association between Sexual and Gender Minority Status and the Likelihood of Delaying or Avoiding COVID-19 Testing

Sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM) face barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing and treatment services. Living with pets may pose an additional barrier due to concerns about pet welfare. This study investigates whether the relation between SGM status and the likelihood of delaying or avoiding testing and treatment for COVID-19 varies as a function of attachment to pets and social support. Our sample consisted of 1453 adults (Mage = 39.4 years, 12.6% racial/ethnic minority; 21.8% SGM). We conducted simple and additive multiple moderation analyses to investigate the moderating effect of attachment to pets and social support on the relation between SGM status and the likelihood of delaying or avoiding COVID-19 testing or treatment. Attachment to pets moderated the association between SGM status and the likelihood of delaying or avoiding COVID-19 testing in the simple (β = 0.82, Z = 2.09, p = 0.04) and additive multiple moderation analyses (β = 0.82, Z = 2.05, p = 0.04). SGM participants were more likely than non-SGM participants to report that they would delay or avoid testing when they reported high attachment to their pet (β = 0.75, OR = 2.11, Z = 2.51, p = 0.01) and low (β = 0.75, OR = 2.12, Z = 2.48, p = 0.01) or moderate (β = 0.73, OR = 2.08, Z = 2.14, p = 0.03) levels of social support.

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Disproportionate Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Perceived Social Support, Mental Health and Somatic Symptoms in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations

Journal of Homosexuality ◽

10.1080/00918369.2020.1868184 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Scott Emory Moore ◽

Kelly L. Wierenga ◽

Dana M. Prince ◽

Braveheart Gillani ◽

Laura Janine Mintz

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Somatic Symptoms ◽

Minority Populations ◽

Gender Minority ◽

Sexual And Gender Minority ◽

And Gender

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Querying Patients With Cancer About Sexual Health and Sexual and Gender Minority Status: A Qualitative Study of Health-Care Providers

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine® ◽

10.1177/1049909119879129 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 418-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth Cathcart-Rake ◽

Jennifer M. O’Connor ◽

Jennifer L. Ridgeway ◽

Carmen Radecki Breitkopf ◽

Lois J. Mc Guire ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Minority Status ◽

Care Providers ◽

Gender Minority ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

National Organizations ◽

Sexual And Gender Minority ◽

And Gender

Background: Although national organizations advocate that health-care providers ask patients about sexual health and sexual and gender minority status—to learn, for example, about side effects of treatment and to understand patients’ social support—these conversations often do not occur. This study explored health-care providers’ reasons for having/not having these conversations. Methods: This single-institution study recruited health-care providers from medical oncology, hematology, radiation oncology, and gynecology. Face-to-face interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed qualitatively. Results: Three main themes emerged: (1) patient-centric reasons for discussing/not discussing sexual health and sexual and gender minority status (“So I think just the holistic viewpoint is important”); (2) health-care provider–centric reasons for discussing/not discussing these issues (“That’s going to take more time to talk about and to deal with…” or “I was raised orthodox, so this is not something we talk about…”; and (3) reasons that appeared to straddle both of the above themes (eg, acknowledgment of the sometimes taboo nature of these topics). Conclusion: Although many health-care providers favor talking with patients with cancer about sexual health and sexual and gender minority status, limited time, personal reluctance, and the taboo nature of these topics appear at times to hamper the initiation of these conversations.

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A Qualitative Analysis of Adolescent Responses to YouTube Videos Portraying Sexual and Gender Minority Experiences: Belonging, Community, and Information Seeking

Frontiers in Human Dynamics ◽

10.3389/fhumd.2020.598886 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Jordan A. Levinson ◽

Patricia M. Greenfield ◽

Jenna C. Signorelli

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Identity Development ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Past Research ◽

Well Being ◽

Minority Youth ◽

Gender Minority ◽

Youtube Videos ◽

Sexual And Gender Minority ◽

And Gender

Sexual and gender minority youth are at risk for negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and suicide, due to stigma. Fortunately, sense of community, connection, and social support can ameliorate these deleterious effects. Youth express that most of their social support comes from peers and in-school organizations, but these sources require in-person interaction. Past research has identified social media sites as virtual and anonymous sources of support for these youth, but the role of YouTube specifically in this process has not been thoroughly explored. This study explores YouTube as a possible virtual source of support for sexual and gender minority youth by examining the ecological comments left on YouTube videos. A qualitative thematic analysis of YouTube comments resulted in six common themes in self-identified adolescents' YouTube comments: sharing, relating, information-seeking, gratitude, realization, and validation. Most commonly, adolescents shared feelings and experiences related to their identity, especially when they could relate to the experiences discussed in the videos. These young people also used their comments to ask for identity-related advice or information, treating the platform as a source of education. Results suggest that sexual minority youth's use of YouTube can be advantageous for social support and community, identity-related information, identity development, and overall well-being.

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Experiences with sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy practices among sexual minority men in Canada, 2019–2020

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0252539 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0252539

Author(s):

Travis Salway ◽

Stephen Juwono ◽

Ben Klassen ◽

Olivier Ferlatte ◽

Aidan Ablona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Orientation ◽

Gender Identity ◽

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Conversion Therapy ◽

Gender Minority ◽

Sexual And Gender Minority ◽

Minority Men ◽

And Gender ◽

Racial Ethnic

Background “Conversion therapy” practices (CTP) are organized and sustained efforts to avoid the adoption of non-heterosexual sexual orientations and/or of gender identities not assigned at birth. Few data are available to inform the contemporary prevalence of CTP. The aim of this study is to quantify the prevalence of CTP among Canadian sexual and gender minority men, including details regarding the setting, age of initiation, and duration of CTP exposure. Methods Sexual and gender minority men, including transmen and non-binary individuals, aged ≥ 15, living in Canada were recruited via social media and networking applications and websites, November 2019—February 2020. Participants provided demographic data and detailed information about their experiences with CTP. Results 21% of respondents (N = 9,214) indicated that they or any person with authority (e.g., parent, caregiver) ever tried to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, and 10% had experienced CTP. CTP experience was highest among non-binary (20%) and transgender respondents (19%), those aged 15–19 years (13%), immigrants (15%), and racial/ethnic minorities (11–22%, with variability by identity). Among the n = 910 participants who experienced CTP, most experienced CTP in religious/faith-based settings (67%) or licensed healthcare provider offices (20%). 72% of those who experienced CTP first attended before the age of 20 years, 24% attended for one year or longer, and 31% attended more than five sessions. Interpretation CTP remains prevalent in Canada and is most prevalent among younger cohorts, transgender people, immigrants, and racial/ethnic minorities. Legislation, policy, and education are needed that target both religious and healthcare settings.

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