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IJERPH
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Mental Health Challenges Affecting LGBTQ+ Individuals and Communities
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Mental Health Challenges Affecting LGBTQ+ Individuals and Communities

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 2051

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jonathan Glazzard

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, UK
Interests: teacher education; mental health; social justice; literacy; disability; LGBTQ+
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mark Vicars

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 8001, Australia
Interests: LGBTQ+; trauma

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to experience poor mental health. As a minority, they are exposed to additional stressors on top of general stressors that affect everyone. Meyer [1] categorises these additional stressors into distal and proximal stressors. Distal stressors are external stressors and include bullying, harassment and prejudice. Proximal stressors are internal stressors and include internalised homophobia, self-stigma and fear of a negative reaction. According to Meyer [1], these stressors are likely to lead to poor mental health, although individuals can mitigate the effects of these stressors by forming social networks. In addition, the risks that LGBTQ+ individuals are exposed to in online digital worlds can increase the likelihood of poor mental health, and research shows that the transgender population are more at risk than those who are lesbian and gay [2]; LGBTQ+ individuals can experience homelessness and bullying in schools, and during adulthood are also at risk of experiencing loneliness and suffering the effects of trauma. Intersectional identities also pose particular risks. For example, research demonstrates that disabled LGBTQ+ young people experience multiple forms of oppression [3]. LGBTQ+ students in higher education can face particular challenges, but research also demonstrates that they can be powerful agents of change [4]. This Special Issue will take a multi-disciplinary approach, and a range of creative, qualitative research methods will be used to give a voice to the marginalised. It will explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities across their lifespans.

References

  1. Meyer, I.H. Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Bull. 2003, 129, 674–697, doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674.
  2. Bradlow, J.; Bartram, F.; Guasp, A.; Jadva, V. School Report: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans Young People in Britain’s Schools in 2017, Stonewall, London, 2017. Available Online: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/the_school_report_2017.pdf (accessed on 2 June 2023)
  3. Toft, A.; Franklin, A. Young Disabled and LGBT+: Voices, Identities and Intersections, 1st ed.; Routledge: London, UK, 2020.
  4. Glazzard, J.; Jindal-Snape, D.; Stones, S. Transitions Into, and Through, Higher Education: The Lived Experiences of Students Who Identify as LGBTQ+. Educ. 2020, 5, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00081.

Prof. Dr. Jonathan Glazzard
Dr. Mark Vicars
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • LGBTQ+
  • mental health
  • trauma
  • wellbeing

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 258 KiB  
Article
How Social Support and Parent–Child Relationships Related to LGBTQ+ College Students’ Academic Challenges During COVID-19
by Yuan Zhang, Miranda R. Garcia and Eva. S. Lefkowitz
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(3), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030459 - 20 Mar 2025
Viewed by 211
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the living arrangements of many college students in the United States, potentially impacting their academic development, which plays a critical role in their mental health. At the start of the pandemic, university closures led to an abrupt transition from [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the living arrangements of many college students in the United States, potentially impacting their academic development, which plays a critical role in their mental health. At the start of the pandemic, university closures led to an abrupt transition from face-to-face instruction to online instruction, which may have caused significant challenges for college students, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others who identify as having a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity (LGBTQ+). To identify academic challenges and associated protective factors, we examined LGBTQ+ college students’ social support from family and friends, the parent–child relationship quality, and their associations with academic challenges during the first months of the pandemic. The results of online surveys indicated that LGBTQ+ college students (N = 408; Mean Age = 20.4 yrs) who reported less family support and worse relationship quality with their parents perceived that academics had become relatively harder than before the pandemic. In contrast, friend support was unrelated to perceived academic challenges. These findings underscore the potentially protective role of supportive and high-quality relationships with family. The findings also provide insight into how universities could support students’ academic success during other temporary academic breaks and sudden, unplanned disruptions, such as hurricanes or other weather-related events, which is essential in promoting LGBTQ+ college students’ mental health and academic success. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Challenges Affecting LGBTQ+ Individuals and Communities)
19 pages, 474 KiB  
Article
Navigating Digital Geographies and Trauma Contexts: Conceptions of Online Communities and Experiences Among LGBTQ+ People During COVID-19
by Rachel M. Schmitz, Jennifer Tabler, Ruby Charak, Gabby Gomez, Reagan E. Cole and Joshua J. Schmitz
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(3), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030443 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 262
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic shaped challenges for marginalized groups. Specifically, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) people experienced community-building constraints, notably in predominantly rural regions. People are also navigating digital geographies, or online social environments, in novel ways to develop virtual communities in [...] Read more.
The coronavirus pandemic shaped challenges for marginalized groups. Specifically, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) people experienced community-building constraints, notably in predominantly rural regions. People are also navigating digital geographies, or online social environments, in novel ways to develop virtual communities in the face of prejudice, discrimination, and potential trauma. Through a minority coping approach, the present study explored LGBTQ+ people’s experiences navigating the dynamics of digital geographies during the pandemic while residing in socially conservative, highly rural physical spaces where they may be exposed to vicarious trauma. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews, data were gathered from 43 LGBTQ+ identifying individuals between 19 and 59 years old (M/SD = 27.7/9.2) between October 2020 and January 2021. Nearly 14% identified as transgender, nonbinary, or queer individuals, 35% as bisexual individuals, and 21% as people of color including Hispanic/Latina/o. Thematic analysis of the narratives described participants’ exposures to online discrimination and stigmatization of minority groups (racial and/or sexual/gender minority groups) during the COVID-19 pandemic, institutional constraints to identity expression, utilizing social technologies to manage their identities, and negotiating digital strategies to promote social ties. Findings emphasize improving marginalized people’s experiences with digital geographies through identity affirmation and community relationship-building to offset potentially traumatic experiences. Furthermore, service providers can utilize the findings to tailor effective virtual LGBTQ+ community programming to support underserved, marginalized populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mental Health Challenges Affecting LGBTQ+ Individuals and Communities)
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