Examining the mental health symptoms of neurodivergent individuals across demographic and identity factors: a quantitative analysis

Summary & key facts

Researchers analyzed survey and symptom data from 14,219 people who entered a virtual intensive outpatient mental health program (May 2023–Mar 2024). They found that people who are sexual or gender minorities were more likely to say they were neurodivergent. The study showed that neurodivergent identity interacted with gender to relate to depression scores, and interacted with sexual orientation to relate to both depression and anxiety scores. No interaction with racial identity was found. The authors say these patterns mean that mental health symptoms for neurodivergent people can vary with other identities, and that understanding those intersections matters for clinical care. The data came

Key facts:

• The study sample was 14,219 individuals admitted to a virtual intensive outpatient mental health program between May 2023 and March 2024.
• Participants self-reported neurodivergent identity, gender, sexual orientation, and race; most participants were aged 11–35 and all data came from one virtual program.
• Sexual and gender minority respondents were more likely to identify as neurodivergent than straight and gender-binary respondents.
• There was a statistically significant interaction between neurodivergent identity and gender on depression scores.
• There were statistically significant interactions between neurodivergent identity and sexual orientation on both depression scores and anxiety scores.
• No significant interactions were found between neurodivergent identity and racial identity for depression or anxiety scores.
• The researchers first ran two-way MANOVAs to test interactions on anxiety and depression at intake and discharge, and then ran follow-up two-way ANOVAs when MANOVAs showed significant interactions.
• Because the data are from one virtual program and rely on self-report, the authors note limits on how widely the results can be generalized.

Abstract

BackgroundNew research indicates that neurodivergent individuals experience unique intersections of identities at a much higher rate than historical research...

Topics

Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum Racial and Ethnic Identity Research

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Tags

Acoustics Anxiety Clinical psychology Developmental psychology Gender studies Human sexuality Identity (music) Intersectionality Mental health Physics Psychiatry Psychology Race (biology) Sexual identity Sexual orientation Social psychology Sociology