Job protections improve mental health among LGBTQ+ workers

A recent study reveals that a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision prohibiting job discrimination has had a positive impact on the mental health of LGBTQ+ workers.

The decision, known as Bostock v Clayton County in 2020, extended employment protections to nearly 3.6 million LGBTQ+ individuals in 12 states, leading to improvements in their mental well-being.

Published in JAMA Psychiatry on January 15, the study by Michael Liu and his team from Harvard Medical School found that the implementation of a federal ban on sexual orientation-based employment discrimination following the Bostock decision resulted in significant reductions in poor mental health days and severe mental distress among LGBTQ+ adults in the workforce.

By analyzing federal survey data, researchers compared the mental health of LGBTQ+ workers in the states where protections were extended to those in states that had existing employment protection laws before the decision.

Results showed that workers in states benefiting from the decision experienced one fewer day of poor mental health per month compared to states with prior protections. Additionally, there was a 3.5% decline in severe mental illness rates among these workers.

The study highlighted the positive correlation between policies safeguarding the rights of sexual minority individuals and improved mental health outcomes.

Researchers speculated that the decision may have reduced stress among LGBTQ+ workers by signaling increased social acceptance. Additionally, the expanded protections likely enabled individuals to be more open about their sexual identity, reducing the risk of discrimination in the workplace.

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