Associations Between Social Deprivation and Mental Health Symptoms 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 in socioeconomic factors and living conditions—compared to non-SGM groups. While current research highlights the negative health impacts of social deprivation, no work has assessed whether SGM identity moderates associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms. Further, it is unknown whether specific measures of social deprivation are more strongly associated with mental health. This study aimed to fill these gaps by examining associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms, as well as whether these relationships vary between SGM and non-SGM groups. Participants ( N = 450) recruited from Prolific completed measures of anxiety, depression, schizotypy, and paranoia. The Social Deprivation Index and Social Vulnerability Index were derived from participants’ zip codes. Neither social deprivation measure was significantly associated with mental health symptoms. SGM status did not moderate associations between social deprivation and mental health symptoms, though the SGM group reported lower income levels, higher rates of social deprivation, and were more likely to have previously received mental health diagnoses and treatment compared to the non-SGM group. Results contribute to our understanding of socioeconomic factors related to mental health symptoms, particularly among minoritized groups. Future work should analyze interactions between individual-level and community-level factors on SGM mental health.