(PS10-A1) Relationship Quality, COVID Stress, and Mental Health Among Sexual and Gender Minorities

Background: Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) may be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 compared to heterosexual cisgender populations. SGM report higher rates of pre-existing conditions and financial and social insecurity, which may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to poor mental health. Romantic relationships can protect against external stressors and resulting mental health problems. This study aims to determine whether strong relationship quality can buffer the relationship between COVID stress and mental health problems in SGM.

Method: The sample included 227 SGM assigned female at birth (ages 19 – 35 years; 30% Black, 29% Latinx) in a current romantic relationship. Web-based surveys completed between May 2020-July 2021 included quantitative measures of pandemic-related stress; relationship quality; and mental health, including depressive and anxious symptoms and problematic alcohol and cannabis use. To test hypotheses, each mental health variable was regressed onto COVID stress, relationship quality, and an interaction term (created by multiplying relationship quality and COVID stress).

Results: COVID stress and mental health problems were positively associated, while relationship quality was negatively associated with anxious and depressive symptoms and problematic cannabis use. Relationship quality moderated the association between COVID stress and depression, but not the other mental health outcomes. Specifically, the positive association between COVID stress and depression was stronger at low levels of relationship quality, B = 4.95 (SE=.74), t(218) = 6.70, p < .001, than at high levels B = 2.63 (SE = .64), t(218) = 4.10, p < .001, consistent with stress buffering models.

Conclusions: Findings highlight mental health concerns for SGM due to COVID-stress and indicate that high quality romantic relationships may protect the mental health, particularly depression level, of SGM.