Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Italian LGBT+ Young Adults' Mental Health: The Role of Neuroticism and Family Climate.

ABSTRACT

Vulnerable populations have been among the most affected by the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic; among those, young people and sexual and gender minorities have seen their situation exacerbated by new specific regulations. The aim of the present study was twofold first, to assess the role of family climate, concerning participants' LGBT+ status during lockdown restrictions, in mediating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal quality of life and mental health (stress, depression, and anxiety); second, to assess how individual stable traits can moderate the relationship between the individual impact of COVID-19 on mental health outcomes. A total of 407 young adults aged 18 to 35 (M age = 25.03 years; SD = 4.68) who self-identified as being part of a sexual or gender minority took part in this study. Results highlight the association between negative family climate and internalizing symptoms of psychological distress, and its role as a partial mediator of the relationship between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the individual level and mental health outcomes. Additionally, low personality trait levels of neuroticism significantly decreased the strength of the relationship between LGBT+ status during blocking restrictions and internalizing symptoms.