Mental Health, Environmental, and Socio-Demographic Predictors of Activism Among Queer Adults

Background: Queer people in the United States are currently being subjected to increasing rates of systematic oppression and discrimination. Various approaches to address this have been proposed ranging from individual level mindfulness practices to complete systemic overhaul. History has often shown that socio-political, activism approaches often achieve legislative change often in the forms of added protections for marginalized communities or the repealing of harmful legislation. Participation rates within socio-political movements are likely impacted by various factors of which remain unknown within queer communities. The purpose of this study was to examine what influences queer people to engage in activism based on (1) sociodemographic factors (i.e., gender identity, sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, education level, religion, socioeconomic status, immigrant status, and disability status), (2) mental health factors (i.e., depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety symptoms, queer identity concealment, sexual minority stress, and stressful life events), and (3) environmental factors (i.e., homophobic messaging received during childhood, familial political ideology during childhood, and state of residence). Methods: A cross-sectional national diverse sample of 500 queer adults (ages 18-70) completed an online survey in 2020. Data were collected on societal homophobic messaging received during childhood (Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale-Revised 5-Item Version), general anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory), depressive symptoms (Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale), sexual minority stress (LGB Multidimensional Stigma Inventory), stressful life events (Survey of Life Experiences), and participation in activism (yes/no). Four separate hierarchical binary logistic regression models (socio-demographics, mental health, environmental, and overall) were run after univariate analysis, and their outputs compared. Results:Across all four models, education was highlighted as a statistically significant predictor for activist behaviors (M_SD:OR=1.20, p<.05; M_MH: OR=1.28, p<.01; M_EV: OR=1.24, p<.01; M_OV: OR=1.39, p<.001). Within the mental health focused model, individuals who reported higher rates of internalized stigma were 29% less likely to participate in activism (OR=1.29, p≤.001). Further, individuals who perceived higher rates of structural stigma were 47% more likely to engage in activist behaviors (OR=1.47, p<.001). The level of individuals’ depressive symptoms was also found to be significant predictors for activism (OR=.66, p<.05). Within the sociodemographic model, individuals who identified as transgender were 78% more likely than their cisgender counterparts to engage in activist behaviors (p≤.05). Within the environmental and overall models, social and cultural issues (OR=2.47, p<.01) and social rejection (OR=.65, p<.05) were also considered significant predictors for queer activist behaviors. Discussion: The highlighted importance of education may be explained as those with higher education around political systems possibly having a better understand the processes behind activist behaviors. For future socio-political intervention strategies to effectively address the needs of marginalized groups, increased participation in activist processes is required. Mental health, environmental, and socio-demographic factors explain approximately 22% of variance in queer activism participation. Further research is required to better understand the weight of mental health concerns on queer activist behaviors and the other factors that influence and can predict rates of socio-political participation within the queer community.