IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/soecon/v93y2026i1p170-199.html

Economic Hardship and Mental Health for Sexual and Gender Identity Minorities

Author

Listed:
  • Michael E. Martell

Abstract

Using nationally representative data from the US Household Pulse Survey, I show that individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and not cisgender are 10–20 percentage points more likely than their cisgender heterosexual counterparts to experience symptoms of depression. I build on our knowledge of the causes of mental health disparities, showing that higher likelihoods of experiencing depression are largely unexplained by higher rates of economic hardship. Hardship, particularly for lesbian and gay individuals, has larger associations with depression. However, differential associations explain little of the underlying mental health disparities for sexual orientation and gender identity minorities.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael E. Martell, 2026. "Economic Hardship and Mental Health for Sexual and Gender Identity Minorities," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 93(1), pages 170-199, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:93:y:2026:i:1:p:170-199
    DOI: 10.1002/soej.12783
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12783
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/soej.12783?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mann, Samuel & Blackaby, David & O’Leary, Nigel, 2019. "Sexual identity and wellbeing: A distributional analysis," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 133-136.
    2. Campbell, Travis & Rodgers, Yana van der Meulen, 2023. "Conversion therapy, suicidality, and running away: An analysis of transgender youth in the U.S," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    3. Emily Oster, 2019. "Unobservable Selection and Coefficient Stability: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 187-204, April.
    4. Sarzosa, Miguel, 2023. "Sexual Orientation and Labor Market Disparities," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 723-755.
    5. Martell, Michael E., 2021. "Labor market differentials estimated with researcher-inferred and self-identified sexual orientation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    6. Dimitrios Nikolaou, 2022. "Same‐sex marriage laws, LGBT hate crimes, and employment discrimination charges," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(3), pages 869-905, January.
    7. Horrace, William C. & Oaxaca, Ronald L., 2006. "Results on the bias and inconsistency of ordinary least squares for the linear probability model," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 321-327, March.
    8. Cameron Deal & Shea Greenberg & Gilbert Gonzales, 2024. "Sexual identity, poverty, and utilization of government services," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-31, June.
    9. Maryam Dilmaghani, 2018. "Sexual Orientation, Labour Earnings, and Household Income in Canada," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 41-55, March.
    10. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2007. "Changes in the Labor Supply Behavior of Married Women: 1980–2000," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 25(3), pages 393-438.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cameron Deal & Shea Greenberg & Gilbert Gonzales, 2024. "Sexual identity, poverty, and utilization of government services," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-31, June.
    2. Michael E. Martell & Peyton Nash, 2020. "For Love and Money? Earnings and Marriage Among Same-Sex Couples," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 260-294, September.
    3. Michael E. Martell & Leanne Roncolato, 2023. "Economic Vulnerability of Sexual Minorities: Evidence from the US Household Pulse Survey," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(2), pages 1-74, April.
    4. Chen Liang & Yili Hong & Bin Gu, 2025. "Monitoring and the Cold Start Problem in Digital Platforms: Theory and Evidence from Online Labor Markets," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 36(1), pages 600-620, March.
    5. Aksoy, Billur & Chadd, Ian, 2025. "Competitiveness at the intersection of gender and sexual orientation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    6. Barbara Boelmann & Anna Raute & Uta Schönberg, 2021. "Wind of Change? Cultural Determinants of Maternal Labor Supply," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 090, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    7. Martinoty, Laurine, 2022. "Partner’s income shock and female labor supply. Evidence from the repeal of Argentina’s convertibility law," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    8. Juliane Hennecke, 2024. "The independent woman—locus of control and female labor force participation," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 329-357, March.
    9. Denly, Michael & Helms, Benjamin, 2025. "A Report on "Corruption and Co-optation in Autocracy: Evidence from Russia"," I4R Discussion Paper Series 260, The Institute for Replication (I4R).
    10. Guirong Li & Jiajia Xu & Liying Li & Zhaolei Shi & Hongmei Yi & James Chu & Elena Kardanova & Yanyan Li & Prashant Loyalka & Scott Rozelle, 2020. "The Impacts of Highly Resourced Vocational Schools on Student Outcomes in China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 28(6), pages 125-150, November.
    11. Ahuja, Suman & Kumar, Ashish, 2025. "How public debt and renewable energy influence international clean energy finance: Insights from low- and middle-income countries with governance considerations," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PD).
    12. Lant Pritchett, 2024. "“Rely (only) on the rigorous evidence” is bad advice," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 2034-2058, November.
    13. Sandra Müllbacher & Wolfgang Nagl, 2017. "Labour supply in Austria: an assessment of recent developments and the effects of a tax reform," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 44(3), pages 465-486, August.
    14. Katie R. Genadek & Wendy A. Stock & Christiana Stoddard, 2007. "No-Fault Divorce Laws and the Labor Supply of Women with and without Children," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 42(1).
    15. Roxana Elena Manea, 2021. "School Feeding Programmes, Education and Food Security in Rural Malawi," CIES Research Paper series 63-2020, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    16. Eichengreen, Barry & Aksoy, Cevat Giray & Saka, Orkun, 2021. "Revenge of the experts: Will COVID-19 renew or diminish public trust in science?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    17. Ye, Dezhu & Ji, Wenjun & Sun, Nan, 2025. "Corporate diversification strategies and bankruptcy risk: A re-examination based on COVID-19," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    18. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell & Trinh, Trong-Anh, 2022. "Energy poverty, temperature and climate change," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    19. Maria Donovan Fitzpatrick, 2010. "Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Prekindergarten," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 28(1), pages 51-85, January.
    20. Park, Timothy & Martinez, Steve & Ibrahim, Mohammed, . "Sales Performance of Local Food Marketers: Evaluation of Multivalued Treatment Effects," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 49(3).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:93:y:2026:i:1:p:170-199. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)2325-8012 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.