IALH Research Fellow and past Acting Director Nathan J. Lachowsky has co-authored a new research article entitled Surviving the Added Pressures of the Pandemic: Sexual and Gender Diverse Communities Prioritize Social Connection to Decrease Mental Health Burden During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Collaborating authors include Nicole Pal, Kayla Huggard, Kiffer G. Card, Carolien Aantjes, Ben Klassen, and Anya Slater. The article was published in Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
Abstract:
This study explored the mental health experiences of sexual and gender diverse (SGD) communities in Canada within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Three online focus groups with 14 SGD community members were conducted to discuss experiences with social determinants of mental health. Themes included social connection and support, healthcare access and utilization, discrimination and socioeconomic status (employment, income, housing, education). Social connection and support were prominent themes throughout all groups. Policy and practice should focus primarily on scaling community-led services and programs that build social connection and support informed by local context and perspectives.
To read the full article, see https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2024-011