Parental relationship quality, social support, and LGBTQ+ students’ stress during the COVID-19 pandemic

• In Event: Individual and Family Functioning in Vulnerable Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, LGBTQ+ college students who must leave campus housing to return to their family of origin may experience increased risks to their wellbeing. Not all LGBTQ+ college students are out to their families (Rosario et al., 2009). This return home may restrict freedom of identity expression and subsequently increase LGBTQ+ students’ risk of stress (Roe, 2016). In addition, LGBTQ+ students who are out to their families commonly experience rejection, negative reactions, or low social support (D’Augelli et al., 2010; HRC, 2018; Watson et al., 2019), which are associated with worse wellbeing (Sheets & Mohr, 2009; Snapp et al., 2015). In fact, the Human Rights Campaign asserts that, due to COVID-19, LGBTQ+ youth may “be required to spend more time in unsupportive environments—including home environments where they face family rejection” (Whittington et al., 2020). Thus, leaving a potentially supportive college environment, including LGBTQ+ friends whose support can protect against stress (Doty et al., 2010), to return to a potentially less supportive home environment may increase LGBTQ+ students’ risk of negative wellbeing, including stress. Therefore, we consider the extent to which living with parents, being out to parents, parent relationship quality, and social support from family and friends relate to LGBTQ+ college students’ current stress during, and perceived change in stress as a result of, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods. 383 students from 32 large, public universities across the United States completed online surveys in April and May, 2020. All students were traditionally aged and identified as sexual and/or gender minorities (see Table 1). Students reported on whether they lived with mothers and/or fathers, whether they were out to their mother and/or father, their relationship quality with each parent (PARQ; Pitzer et al., 2011), social support from family and friends (NSSQ; Gigliotti & Samuels, 2011), perceived stress (PSS-4; Cohen et al., 1983), and change in stress since the start of the pandemic.

Results and Discussion. Overall, LGBTQ+ students’ stress was high, averaging sometimes to fairly often on experiencing stress in the past month, with over 90% describing their stress as having increased as a result of the pandemic. For both perceived stress and change in stress, we performed a series of bivariate regressions and one multivariate linear regression, with all predictors and controls (gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnicity). LGBTQ+ college students who had mothers and fathers who expressed more positive and less negative affect, more supportive families, and more supportive friends reported less stress, and less increase in stress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these associations remained in the multivariate analyses (see Table 2). Living with mothers and/or fathers and being out to mothers and/or fathers were not associated with stress or perceived change in stress. Findings suggest the importance of a positive family environment and support from both parents and friends during times of stress for LGBTQ+ college students. The authors will discuss implications for how universities and gender/sexuality resource centers may support LGBTQ+ students.

Authors

• Eva S. Lefkowitz, University of Connecticut
  Presenting Author

• Yuan Zhang, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alyssa N. Clark, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachael Farina, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Veronica Hanna-Walker, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tracy Walters, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha E. Lawrence, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author