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.