The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of older sexual minority Canadians in the CLSA

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose Limited research has examined the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual; LGB) older adults using a longitudinal approach. This study aimed to compare the mental health trajectories (i.e., reported symptoms of depression and loneliness) of LGB and heterosexual participants across four time points.

Methods Data were drawn from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), an ongoing study on the experiences of adults between 45 to 85 at Baseline. Data included for analysis were collected at Baseline (2011-2015), Follow-up 1 (2015-2018), and two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic (April-December 2020). We used General Estimating Equations (GEE) to model changes in depression symptoms (CESD-10; n = 47,728) and loneliness (UCLA 3-item loneliness scale; n = 41,698), adjusting for covariates (i.e., age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and income).

Results Results indicated that LGB participants reported more symptoms of depression (B = .595, p < .001) and loneliness (B = .313, p < .001) in comparison to heterosexual peers across the four time points. Mean depression and loneliness scores increased regardless of sexual orientation.

Conclusion This study highlighted the detrimental effects of the pandemic on the mental health of older adults regardless of sexual orientation. It also showed that LGB older adults experienced more loneliness and depression symptoms than heterosexual older adults both before and during the pandemic. Understanding diverse identities, needs, and disparities in mental health is critical to promoting equitable aging experiences for everyone.