THE HILL – Transgender people were more than two times as likely than others to struggle with anxiety or depression during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.
About 65 percent of those who identify as transgender reported symptoms of anxiety during the pandemic, while just 27 percent of other people said the same.
Another 58 percent of transgender people said they experienced symptoms of depression during the pandemic, compared to nearly 22 percent for those who identify others.
Transgender people were also more likely to experience severe psychological distress than others during the two weeks of the study, 41 percent to 12 percent, according to the UCLA report.
Researchers compiled data from the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, which includes data from several federal agencies to ascertain the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on American households.
“Transgender people, particularly transgender youth, are much more likely to struggle with a mental illness and have an alarmingly high suicide rate.”
Jody L. Herman, a senior scholar of public policy at the Williams Institute and an author of the new study, said that “health and economic disparities for transgender people pre-date the pandemic and have persisted throughout.”
“More data about transgender individuals from federal surveys, like the Household Pulse Survey, are needed to better understand and address their needs,” Herman said in a statement …
