The roles of minority stress and thwarted belongingness in suicidal ideation among cisgender and transgender/nonbinary LGBTQ+ individuals

Abstract Rates of suicidal ideation (SI), attempts, and death by suicide are consistently elevated among persons from sexual and gender minority groups relative to the general population. Experiences of minority stress and thwarted belongingness may contribute to elevated risk, and be most pernicious among persons with multiple marginalized identities. Aim: The present study sought to examine […]

A suicide prevention intervention for emerging adult sexual and gender minority groups: Protocol for a pilot hybrid effectiveness randomized controlled trial

Background: Suicide attempts and suicide death disproportionately affect sexual and gender minority emerging adults (age 18-24 years). However, suicide prevention strategies tailored for emerging adult sexual and gender minority (EA-SGM) groups are not widely available. The Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) has strong evidence for reducing the risk for suicide in the general population, but it is […]

Suicidality and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth and adults in Canada: A cross‑sectional, population‑based study

Background Sexual and gender minority populations experience elevated risks for suicidality. This study aimed to assess prevalence and disparities in non-fatal suicidality and potential protective factors related to social support and health care access among sexual and gender minority youth and adults and their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts in Canada. The second objective was to […]

Mental health promotion and suicide prevention for LGBTQIA2S+ youth: A resource guide for professionals, families, and communities

Developed with input and review from LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and those having experienced suicidal thoughts and behaviors, this resource guide is intended to serve as a novel resource for families, communities, and professionals who interact with LGBTQIA2S+ youth (ages 10 to 24). It considers current events and legislation that impact these youth, the long-standing and current […]

Development and codesign of flourish: A digital suicide prevention intervention for LGBTQ+ youth who have experienced online victimization

Background LGBTQ+ youth experience disproportionately high rates of online victimization (OV), referring to harmful remarks, images, or behaviors in online settings, which is associated with suicidal risk. Current services have gaps in supporting LGBTQ+ youth facing OV events. To address these gaps, this study aims to develop Flourish, a digital suicide prevention intervention for LGBTQ+ […]

Research on youth suicide and sexual orientation is impacted by high rates of missingness in national surveillance systems

Objective: The sexual orientation of youth who die by suicide in the United States is usually unknown. This study assessed how observed patterns of unknown sexual orientation are likely to affect research findings. Methods: We analyzed the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) Restricted Access Dataset to assess whether sexual orientation among youth suicide decedents is disproportionately […]

Understanding LGBTQA+SB suicidal behaviour and improving support: Insight from intersectional lived experience

To facilitate better policy and service responses to LGBTIQA+ suicidal behaviour in Australia, this project has two aims: 1. To generate new insights into lived experiences of suicidal behaviour within LGBTIQA+ communities, including First Nations LGBTIQA+SB people and LGBTIQA+POC in Australia. 2.To better understand the factors that influence and protect against suicidal behaviour in LGBTIQA+SB […]

The mediating role of family acceptance and conflict on suicidality among sexual and gender minority youth

Introduction: Prior research suggests sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are profoundly impacted by levels of parental support. This study assessed mediating effects of generalized family acceptance and conflict on lifetime suicidal behaviors among a large diverse sample comprising both SGM and non-SGM youth in early adolescence, when intervention to optimize family dynamics may be critical. […]

2023 U.S. National Survey on the mental health of LGBTQ young people

The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People amplifies the experiences of more than 28,000 LGBTQ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States. This survey gives a voice to LGBTQ young people — at a time when their existence is unfairly at the center of […]

Victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in childhood: Associations with attempted suicide

Higher rates of attempted suicide have been documented among people who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) compared with heterosexuals. This study sought to ascertain the association between childhood abuse and neglect and attempted suicide, comparing LGBs and heterosexuals. Childhood sexual abuse among men and childhood sexual and physical abuse among women were […]

Moving beyond change efforts: Evidence and action to support and affirm LGBTQ+ youth

This report provides behavioral health professionals, researchers, policymakers and other audiences with a comprehensive research overview and accurate information about effective and ineffective therapeutic practices related to youth of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.

Testing the interpersonal theory of suicide in a sample of sexual minority young adults: Attention to within-group differences

Introduction This study investigated demographic differences in interpersonal theory of suicide factors and their associations with suicide attempts among sexual minority young adults. Methods 784 sexual minority young adults ages 18–29 (42.7% cisgender men, 42.2% cisgender women, 15.1% transgender/gender diverse; 62.2% non-Hispanic White; 50.5% gay/lesbian, 49.5% bisexual+) completed an online survey assessing lifetime suicide attempts […]

The re-emerging suicide crisis in the U.S.: Patterns, causes and solutions

The suicide rate in the United States has risen nearly 40 percent since 2000. This increase is puzzling because suicide rates had been falling for decades at the end of the 20th Century. In this paper, we review important facts about the changing rate of suicide. General trends miss the story of important differences across […]

Age differences in the associations between outness and suicidality among LGBTQ+ youth

Objective: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth are at increased risk for suicidality compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, and outness (the extent to which an individual is open about their LGBTQ+ identity to others) is an important correlate of suicidality. However, previous research has led to mixed findings regarding whether outness functions […]

The mediating role of emotion regulation on self-harm among gender identity and sexual orientation minority (LGBTQ+) individuals

Objective: The present study was conducted to (1) investigate the role of emotion regulation difficulties among self-harming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals and (2) to test for a mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in self-harm among LGBTQ + individuals. Method: This study investigated the relationship between LGBTQ + status, self-reported levels of […]

Policy priority: LGBTQ individuals and communities

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons and those who are questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity (LGBTQ1) experience significant health and behavioral health disparities. Sexual orientation is defined as “an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to other people.” Gender identity is an individual’s innermost sense of self as male, […]

Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among trans and gender diverse people in Australia

Introduction Correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among a large cross-section of trans and gender diverse populations in Australia were examined. Methods A national survey was conducted that included 1466 trans and gender diverse participants aged 18+ years. Multivariable regressions identified factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Results Overall, 62.4% reported […]

A multicomponent digital intervention to promote help-seeking for mental health problems and suicide in sexual and gender diverse young adults: A randomized controlled trial

Background LGBTQ+ community’s higher susceptibility to worse mental health outcomes and more help-seeking barriers compared to the cis-heterosexual population. Despite the LGBTQ+ population facing higher mental health risks, there has been a dearth of research focusing on developing tailored interventions targeting them. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a digital multicomponent intervention in promoting […]

Inclusive state legislation and reduced risk of past-year suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning adolescents in the United States

Objective This study examines the relationship between state legislation relevant to equality for sexual minorities and past-year suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) adolescents in the United States. Methods Data were aggregated from 24 states that participated in the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (N = 70,599). We utilized multilevel logistic regression to […]

An integrated conceptual model to understand suicidality among queer youth to inform suicide prevention

In this article, we apply and combine elements from four theoretical frameworks (i.e., Minority Stress Theory, Person-in-Environment and Risk and Resilience Framework, Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, and Intersectionality) to explain the problem of queer youth suicide through our integrated conceptual model, Queer Prevention of Youth Suicidality Model (Queer-PRYSM). The need for this conceptual model is […]

Anti-transgender rights legislation and internet searches pertaining to depression and suicide

The purpose of this study was to examine whether anti-transgender rights legislation among state legislators is associated with increased suicide- and depression-related Internet searches. Employing a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design, we focused on bills that were introduced to state legislatures from July 2019 to July 2020. As our panel is constructed of 51 states/territories […]

The influence of families on LGBTQ youth health: A call to action for innovation in research and intervention development

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other sexual and gender minority youth (LGBTQ) experience myriad health inequities relative to their cisgender heterosexual peers. Families have a profound impact on adolescent health, but little is known about this influence on LGBTQ youth specifically. We draw on work presented at a public symposium that aimed to […]

A longitudinal examination of the interpersonal theory of suicide for predicting suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ youth who utilize crisis services: The moderating effect of gender

Despite high rates of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, the interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS) has rarely been examined in this population. The current study utilized a longitudinal design to examine whether perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness independently and simultaneously predicted higher levels of suicidal ideation over time in a sample of LGBTQ+ youth who utilized […]