Comparisons of anxiety, depression, and general health and well-being in a gender diverse sample of LGBTQ+ adults.

Background: People who identify as LGBTQ+ report significantly higher rates of mental illness compared to cisgender, heterosexual populations. Transgender and non-binary (TNB) individuals show substantial mental health challenges when compared to non-LGBTQ+ people. However, few studies have explored TNB mental health compared to cisgender sexual minority individuals within a clinical LGBTQ+ sample. Method: This observational study examined differences in anxiety, depression, general health and well-being, and psychiatric diagnoses in a sample of adults who identified as LGBTQ+ according to their self-reported gender identity (TNB vs. cisgender). The sample consisted of 100 TNB and 139 cisgender sexual minority adults (n = 239 total). Participants were in their early to mid-30s, mostly identified as non-Hispanic/Latino White, and were employed. Self-report measures of anxiety, depression, general health/well-being, and interviewer-administered measures of anxiety, depression, and psychiatric diagnoses were used. Results: After adjusting for age, ethnicity, and race in an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model, compared to cisgender sexual minority individuals, participants who identified as TNB demonstrated significantly worse anxiety (self-report: Conclusions: This is among the first studies to compare mental health and well-being within a LGBTQ+ adult sample according to individuals' gender identity. Results indicate that people who identify as TNB have a particularly high mental health burden, underscoring the importance of careful screening and tailored interventions for this subgroup.