Sexuality Issues and Risk Taking Behaviour Amongst WA gay and Bisexual Male Youth

This project investigated past health compromising behaviour of young Western Australian gay & bisexual males & compared research results to previous studies from the USA & Australia. A convenience sample of 30 gay/bisexual men, age 27 or less, were surveyed. Some results of the study include: 23 of the 30 subjects contemplated suicide while over 1/2 attempted suicide; reasons for the attempts were to end pain, self-hatred, negative reactions from others; & of those subjects who felt suicidal, only 6 told anyone else due to a fear of being found out to be gay. Once realizing they were gay, the contemplation of suicide dropped to 1/2 of the sample, & less than a third attempted suicide. (71 refs.)