Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
School of Social Work
First Reader/Committee Chair
Shon, Herbert
Abstract
Knowledge on the mental health struggles experienced by the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent (ND) communities has been slowly growing. However, research on the mental health of ND LGBTQ+ individuals is incredibly underrepresented in academic literature. This study sought to answer whether ND LGBTQ+ individuals with autism, ADHD, and/or dyslexia score higher on the PHQ-9 depression and GAD-7 anxiety scales compared to LGBTQ+ individuals that do not have a neurological condition. This study employed quantitative design and utilized a Qualtrics survey to obtain data, which was then analyzed using IBM SPSS version 29. The data found that LGBTQ+ participants with a neurological condition scored 1.37 times higher on the PHQ-9 depression scale, and 1.41 times higher on the GAD-7 anxiety scale compared to their neurotypical (NT) LGBTQ+ peers without a neurological condition. Additionally, the data revealed that ND LGBTQ+ participants experienced moderate depression and anxiety, while NT LGBTQ+ participants experienced mild depression and anxiety. These results suggest the need for more a more in-depth analysis of mental health disparities between the ND LGBTQ+ and NT LGBTQ+ communities and support the need for increased data on underrepresented neurological conditions such as dyslexia, and others that were not included in this project. The results also call for social workers to become familiar with interventions specifically catered to the ND LGBTQ+ population.
Recommended Citation
Napoli, Madison Nicole, "A COMPARISON OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SEVERITY WITHIN NEUROTYPICAL AND NEURODIVERGENT LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS" (2025). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 2107.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/2107
