An Investigation into Disability Status and Mental Health Indicators among Sexual and Gender Diverse Youth

Emerging research on sexual and gender diverse youth (SGDY) with disabilities (e.g., developmental or learning disabilities, physical disabilities) has begun to document the social- and health-related disparities that this population faces due to holding multiple marginalized identities. However, not all SGDY know their disability status, and those who are not aware of their disability status represent a unique group who might differently experience mental health challenges. Thus, the current exploratory study examined mental health differences among youth with diverse sexual and gender identities (n = 10,505) across three disability statuses: youth with disabilities, without disabilities, and those who did not know their disability status. Compared to SGDY with and without disabilities, SGDY who did not know their disability status were younger, less able to cope with stress, and less likely to identify as asexual. When considering anxiety and depressive symptoms, SGDY who did not know their disability status reported similar levels of anxiety/depression as their counterparts who reported having a disability, though effect sizes were very small. These exploratory findings have implications for how we measure and understand the experiences of SGDY who are not aware of their disability status; stakeholders should consider continuing to work to remove barriers that may thwart SGDY's ability to be diagnosed and offered support for disabilities.