Links Between Past Abuse, Suicide Ideation, and Sexual Orientation Among San Diego College Students

The authors explored relationships among childhood abuse, suicidal ideation, & sexual orientation of 18- to 30-year-old college students in the San Diego area. They found that lesbian/bisexual women were significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation than heterosexual women, while gay/bisexual men were more likely to report unwanted sexual touching, than were heterosexual men, but did not report significantly higher rates of past suicide ideation or suicide attempts. Findings & implications are discussed. (22 refs)