Mental Health Disparities From Climate Change: The Role of Housing Insecurity and LGBTQ+ Identity, California, 2023.

Objectives. To examine the relationship between housing insecurity and lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender-expansive, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) identity with mental health burdens from climate events among California adults. Methods. We used cross-sectional data from 2023 Ca...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:American Journal of Public Health Vol. 116; no. 6; pp. 779 - 790
Autores principales: Choa, Elizabeth, Vlahov, David, Poghosyan, Hermine
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: American Public Health Association Jun2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Objectives. To examine the relationship between housing insecurity and lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender-expansive, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) identity with mental health burdens from climate events among California adults. Methods. We used cross-sectional data from 2023 California Health Interview Survey (n = 14 307). The outcome was self-reported mental health burden from climate events. Primary predictors were LGBTQ+ identity and housing insecurity. We conducted survey-weighted descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for covariates, with an interaction term assessing synergistic effects of primary predictors. Results. Transgender or gender-expansive (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.66, 6.15) and bisexual or pansexual individuals (AOR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.19, 2.33) had significantly higher odds of climate-related mental health burden. High housing insecurity was also associated with greater odds (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.48). Among gay respondents, experiencing housing insecurity was associated with approximately threefold higher odds of climate-related mental health burden (adjusted ratio of odds ratios = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.40, 6.82). Conclusions. Bisexual or pansexual and transgender or gender-expansive individuals reported higher mental health burdens from climate events. Housing insecurity appears to be a key social driver shaping disparities in climate-related mental health among LGBTQ+ populations.