(PS6-49) The 2024 Presidential Election and Mental Health: Impact on LGBTQ+ Americans

Abstract Text: The 2024 Presidential Election and Mental Health: Impact on LGBTQ+ Americans

Introduction: The 2024 United States presidential election was a pivotal moment for many marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. A great deal of anti-LGBT rhetoric was spoken by right-wing candidates, including Donald Trump, in the run up to the election. This created deep concerns among the LGBTQ+ community about a second possible Trump presidency. This study examines the mental health impacts of Donald Trump’s re-election, with a focus on the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals compared to their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts.

Methods: We recruited 271 undergraduate students at Kent State University. Of these, 158 participants reported being LGBTQ+ and 113 participants reported being cisgender and heterosexual. Participants were primarily female (n = 209) making up 77.1% of the sample, with 12.2% identifying as male (n = 33), 7% as nonbinary (n = 19), 2.6% as transgender (n = 7), and 1.1% as another gender identity (n = 3). Among sexual minority identities, the majority were bisexual (n = 91), followed by gay or lesbian (n = 31), or other (n = 29). All surveys were completed online via Qualtrics software.

Participants completed surveys roughly 2-3 weeks prior to the election, and again 2-3 weeks after the results of the election were known. These included measures of depression (PHQ-8), anxiety (GAD-7), and insomnia (ISI), as well as questions about their preferred candidate. At follow-up, an open-ended question about their thoughts about the results were included.

Results: Overall, the sample reported high levels of support for Kamala Harris (64.6% supporting), and this differed by LGBTQ+ status (χ²[2] = 49.79, p < .001) with greater support for Harris among LGBTQ+ individuals. Regression models predicting mental health after the election, controlling for levels before the election, revealed that LGBTQ+ individuals significantly differed from their cisgender-heterosexual peers on each of the three outcomes, depression (b=1.78, p<.002, η2=0.43), anxiety (b=1.52, p<.007, η2=0.29), and insomnia (b=1.31, p<.02, η2=0.22). In each outcome, LGBTQ+ individuals showed an increase in mental health problems whereas the heterosexual-cisgender individuals showed a decrease. Mediation analyses supported the conclusion that these changes were attributable to the election, with support for Donald Trump mediating these changes on depression (z=-3.38, p<.001) and insomnia (z=-2.31, p<.05), but not anxiety (z=-1.47, p=14). Qualitative responses revealed deep concerns among LGBTQ+ students regarding discrimination and their legal rights.

Discussion: This study demonstrated that the 2024 election had significantly different mental health implications for Americans, depending on whether they are a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The re-election of Trump has represented a significant stressor among sexual and gender minorities. The concerns about stigma and discrimination have already been realized, with the Trump administration having taken multiple actions to marginalize LGBTQ+ Americans. Such actions have clear implications for the mental health of sexual and gender minorities.