Better Dead Than Gay? Are gay Identified Youths More at Risk of Suicidal Behaviour Than Straight Youth?

This presentation discussed a research study which examined rates of suicidal behaviour in 57 gay-identified males & 54 straight-identified male controls. Key findings included: gay-identified males were 3.7 times more likely to report making a suicide attempt & had significantly higher levels of lifetime suicidal ideation; attempts were significantly related to the level of perceived lack of paternal support, the level of violence experienced, sexual assault, & precocious sexual identity development; & most attempts occurred after awareness but prior to the first same-sex experience & ‘coming out’.