Factors associated with psychological distress among sexuality and/or gender diverse students at an Australian university: A cross-sectional study

Objectives

While mental ill-health — such as psychological distress — is prevalent among university students, less is known about sexuality and/or gender diverse university students’ mental health. This study aimed to determine whether sociodemographic factors, basic needs security, resilience, and health-related behaviours were associated with psychological distress among a sample of sexuality and/or gender diverse students at an Australian university.

Methods

This study involved a quantitative cross-sectional subgroup analysis of eligible student responses to a larger institutional survey at an Australian university. A multiple linear regression analysis assessed sociodemographic factors (age and gender identity), basic needs security (financial stress, food security, and experience of sexual assault and/or sexual harassment during time at university), resilience (specifically ‘bounce back’ resilience), and health-related behaviours (alcohol use, other drugs use, physical activity, and sleep duration), with psychological distress as the outcome of interest.

Results

Analysis of 411 sexuality and/or gender diverse students’ responses yielded significant results (F [6,387] = 50.493, p < .001) explaining over 40% of the variance in psychological distress (adj. R² = .430). Identifying as a woman and experiencing food insecurity were associated with higher psychological distress. Younger age, greater ‘bounce back’ resilience, and longer sleep duration were associated with lower psychological distress.

Conclusion

Further research should investigate how these associations may change among sexuality and/or gender diverse university students in Australia — across different institutions, over time, and amid broader social and structural factors. Implications for future practice — particularly institutional interventions and data-gathering — are also discussed.