Dr. David Kinitz recently published the article “Association of employment quality with depression among sexual and gender minority adults: a retrospective cohort study” in the Lancet Regional Health – Americas. Analyzing 3,354 adults, the research found that unemployment and insecure, low-quality employment are significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms. Notably, trans- and gender-diverse workers reported higher depression levels across all job categories compared to cisgender peers. The study advocates for integrated policies that address job security, income and mental health simultaneously to close health gaps.
Kinitz worked on the study as a postdoc with The PRIDE Study at Stanford University School of Medicine with the objective of centering employment in sexual and gender minority (SGM) mental health research and assess associations between employment quality and depression.
“We found that LGBTQIA+ working adults in low-quality jobs had more symptoms of depression over time. Compared to standard, secure-income workers, unemployed workers had more depression symptoms to the point it is considered meaningful to mental health professionals,” said Kinitz. “Non-standard, insecure-income workers also had more depression symptoms, even when they were the same age, gender and education level. Depression symptoms were higher in trans- and gender-diverse workers in all job quality groups compared to cisgender workers.”
This is one of the first studies to add employment data to LGBTQIA+ health research to test the association between job quality and depression. LGBTQIA+ working adults often experience more low-quality jobs, unemployment and depression compared to the general population. Job quality also is known to affect mental health in working adults. However, LGBTQIA+ workers have been overlooked in past research.
The study considered whether the association between job quality and depression could be influenced by factors like different income levels, common causes of depression or mental health issues causing worse job outcomes. The researchers also checked if people dropping out of the study changed the results. Even after testing for these, the findings remained similar.
For LGBTQIA+ working adults, low job quality is associated with depressive symptoms. Programs should address mental health, job quality and income together. Reducing the number of people in insecure jobs and unemployment may reduce the experiences of depression for LGBTQIA+ workers.
According to Kinitz, “our study results encourage future researchers to see employment as a major cause of health gaps in LGBTQIA+ communities. More research on LGBTQIA+ workers over time will help to better understand their experiences.”
Study co-authors include Nguyen K. Tran, Shamsi Soltani, Annesa Flentje, Micah E. Lubensky, Juno Obedin-Maliver, and Mitchell R. Lunn of Stanford University School of Medicine, along with Faraz V. Shahidi of the University of Toronto and Kinsey B. Bryant-Lees of Northern Kentucky University.
Related research:
In January, Kinitz’s expertise in addressing poverty and how it specifically impacts LGBTQ+ populations was highlighted by the college during January for National Poverty Awareness month. Read here.
