AUTHOR=Alibudbud Rowalt 

TITLE=Gender in mental health: Relationship of spirituality, social support, and COVID-19-related fear among heterosexual and LGBTQ+ youth

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sociology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2022.1102664

DOI=10.3389/fsoc.2022.1102664

ISSN=2297-7775

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>The youth is a vulnerable population to COVID-19-related fear. Among them, those with LGBTQ+ identities are at higher risk. Given the posited protective effects of spirituality and social support on fear, this study explored their effects on COVID-19-related fear among heterosexual and LGBTQ+ youth.</p></sec><sec><title>Materials and methods</title><p>This cross-sectional study recruited 137 respondents Filipinos aged 18–30 years old. The respondents answered a survey containing a sociodemographic questionnaire, 12-items Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), 20-items Core Dimensions of Spirituality Questionnaire (CDSQ), and 7-items Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCS). After, the data were analyzed using means, frequencies, Mann-Whitney <italic>U</italic>-tests, and correlation coefficients.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Social support from friends was negatively correlated with COVID-19-related fear among heterosexual respondents, R = −0.219, <italic>p</italic> = 0.029. Search for meaning positively correlated with COVID-19-related fear among LGBTQ+ respondents, R = 0.395, <italic>p</italic> = 0.016. Heterosexual respondents also have a higher belief in God (<italic>U</italic> = 1,004, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and feelings of security (<italic>U</italic> = 1,110.5, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) than their LGBTQ+ counterparts.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>These findings suggest that social support from friends is protective against COVID-19-related fear among heterosexual youth but not among LGBTQ+. In addition, a high search for meaning can heighten COVID-19-related fear among LGBTQ+. Finally, these findings can be explained by the higher rates of discrimination against LGBTQ+ than heterosexual youth. Thus, gender-responsive mental healthcare is needed to address the youth's fears as society recovers from the pandemic.</p></sec>