COVID-19 Stress, Minority Stress, and Mental Health Among LGB Israeli Individuals

Objective: The outbreak of COVID-19 is severely affecting mental health worldwide. Minorities are more vulnerable than the general public to the physical, financial, and psychological effects of the current pandemic. In the current study, mental health among Israeli LGB individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown was investigated. Method: One-hundred and 57 lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals answered a questionnaire measuring COVID-19 stress, internalized homophobia, concealment, need of acceptance, anxiety, and depression. A structural equation model was conducted to test the proposed relations and mediating hypotheses. Results: All three measures of minority stress were positively related to anxiety and depression. In addition, indirect associations were found between concealment and need of acceptance, and anxiety and depression, through stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic.