Overview: Youth who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community are twice as likely to experience suicidal ideation and attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.
sauce: University of Georgia
A new University of Georgia study shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth have disproportionately higher rates of suicidal ideation, planning and attempts compared to their heterosexual peers .
Studies have found that LGB youth are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide, plan suicide attempts, or endure suicidal thoughts compared to their heterosexual classmates.
Research also showed that they were more likely to experience trauma such as sexual violence and dating violence. While previous studies have shown associations between trauma exposure and suicidal ideation and attempts, the current study explores the impact of trauma on a heterosexual youth and her LGB teenage experience. We found that there is a big difference between the impact of
“The main message of the paper is that among groups of survivors of these types of violence, those who identify as sexual minorities are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors,” said the study. Lead author and postdoc Emily Ellis said: She is a researcher at the University of Public Health.
“We know that LGBTQ+ people are much more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors, but they are also more likely to experience trauma more frequently and develop post-traumatic stress after being exposed to trauma. much higher.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, discrimination is one of the most likely reasons why LGB youth are more likely to experience traumatic stress than heterosexual youth.
They are more likely to experience rejection and childhood abuse because of their sexual orientation at home, and they are also more likely to experience bullying and victimization at school.
Ellis said the findings were worrying and likely underestimated the number of suicidal LGB youth due to underreporting and stigma around suicide.
“Admitting that you have suicidal thoughts can have consequences,” said a recent doctorate in human development and family sciences with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy at UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Ellis said.
“I wonder how many other children were unable to participate in this study who, despite experiencing trauma or suicidal thoughts, said no because they were afraid someone would try to tell their parents. I have to think.”
More than 1 in 5 students had suicidal thoughts
Researchers analyzed 14,690 responses to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that provides representative data from public and private high school students nationwide.
The research dataset consists of responses from 2015 to 2019 and focuses on students who identified their sexual orientation.
Overall, nearly one in five (20%) students who responded to the survey reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the last year. He made more than 7% of students who actually attempted suicide.
More than 1 in 10 students have experienced sexual violence. Of those who said they were in a relationship, 7% reported having experienced sexual violence at least once during their relationship, and 7.4% said they had experienced physical violence at least once in a relationship. rice field.
Researchers found that exposure to sexual and dating violence was associated with increased likelihood of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts across all sexualities. However, for LGBT youth, exposure to violence was significantly more effective in predicting suicidal ideation and behavior.
Previous research has shown that LGB individuals are more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience childhood sexual abuse and dating violence and are more likely to suffer from traumatic stress after a violent incident. is shown. This increases the risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, researchers say.
Sexual abuse had the greatest impact on suicidal ideation and attempted suicide among gay and lesbian youth, while sexual dating violence had the greatest impact on bisexual youth. The findings suggest that approaches to addressing suicide and violence among LGB youth should not be one size fits all, the researchers said.
School policies may strengthen suicide prevention efforts
See also
Gay-heterosexual alliances, anti-homophobic policies, and stronger staff-student relationships have proven effective in reducing rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among sexual minority students. Building on these existing structures, educating teachers, school staff, nurses and counselors about the rising rates of dating and sexual violence among LGB youth can strengthen suicide prevention efforts. increase.
“Dating violence and suicide prevention programs are in place, but more programs are needed and should include interventions to address violence, especially among LGB groups,” Ellis said. “We know this kind of violence is associated with higher suicide rates. Go where the programs are already in place.”
About this Psychology Research News
author: Cole Sosebee
sauce: University of Georgia
contact: Cole Sosebee – University of Georgia
image: image is public domain
Original research: closed access.
“Are Trauma Exposures More Harmful for Sexually Minority Youth? Different Associations Between Trauma and Suicide in a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Youth and Implications for Suicide Prevention” by Emily Ellis et al. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma
Overview
Are Trauma Exposures More Harmful for Sexually Minority Youth? Different Associations Between Trauma and Suicide in a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Youth and Implications for Suicide Prevention
Purpose
Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth are exposed to traumatic events such as sexual violence and teenage dating violence, and have disproportionately high suicide rates. Suicide rates and exposure rates to traumatic events also vary by sexual minority subgroup. The purpose of this research is to: (1) to explore the impact of her LGB identity on the relationship between exposure to violence and suicide; (2) to examine variations due to gender identity;
Method
Associations between sexual and dating violence and outcomes of suicide (suicidal ideation, planning, and attempted suicide) using a subsample of respondents who reported on their gender identity in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (n = 14,690) We investigated whether sex depends on sexual reasons. Respondent’s identity. A logistic regression model was fitted for interaction effects to quantify association heterogeneity across ID strata.
result
Global interaction tests primarily showed heterogeneity in associations between sexual violence and physical dating violence. Several contrasts in stratum associations suggest substantial probability differences between sexual minority respondents and heterosexual peers.
Conclusion
Although exposure to violence was widely associated with increased odds of experiencing all kinds of suicidal tendencies, young people questioned as LGB were less likely to experience suicidal tendencies compared with their heterosexual peers. sex has increased significantly. Gay and lesbian youth were most likely to experience suicidal ideation and behavior among survivors of sexual violence, whereas bisexual youth were at higher risk after dating violence It may be possible. Future research and implications for suicide prevention are being discussed.
