Relationships Between the Social Deprivation Index and Mental Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Adults

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations include individuals who identify as non-heterosexual and/or whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. SGM populations experience higher rates of social deprivation—disadvantages including socioeconomic factors and living conditions—compared to non-SGM groups. While the current body of research highlights the negative health impacts of social deprivation, no work has yet assessed the extent to which SGM status moderates associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms. This study aimed to fill that gap by examining associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms, as well as whether this relationship varies between SGM and non-SGM groups. The researcher hypothesized that greater social deprivation would be related to frequent negative mental health symptoms. Further, the researcher hypothesized that the relationship would be stronger for those who identify as SGM compared to non-SGM. Participants (N = 450) recruited from Prolific completed measures of anxiety, depression, paranoia, and schizotypy. The Social Deprivation Index was derived from participants’ zip code. Social deprivation was not significantly associated with symptom measures. SGM status did not moderate associations between social deprivation and mental health outcomes. Exploratory analyses revealed that the SGM group had lower income levels and higher rates of social deprivation, previous mental health diagnoses, and previous mental health treatment, compared to the non-SGM group. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of socioeconomic factors related to mental health outcomes. Future work should aim to analyze interactions between individual-level and community-level factors on SGM mental health.