Social Support and Mutual Aid During a Pandemic: Experiences of African American, Latina, and White Sexual Minority Women.

The COVID-19 pandemic created barriers to social support for sexual minority women (SMW), which is vital to the promotion of mental and behavioral health resilience when confronting prolonged and/or excessive stress. We used phenomenological analysis to characterize ways SMW experienced and fostered social support during the pandemic. Seventeen Black, Latina, and White SMW completed Zoom and telephone interviews about their experiences during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in support from family, friends, partners, neighbors, colleagues, and the LGBTQ+ community. Study findings highlight the importance of social support and mutual aid for SMW's resilience and wellbeing during the pandemic.