Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth Suicides Lower In Supportive Environments

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Academic Journal
Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Mental Health;  Depression
Article Date: 18 Apr 2011 - 11:00 PDT


Young people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual are 20% more likely to commit suicide in communities that are less supportive of homosexuality compared to those who live in supportive environments, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD, from Columbia University in New York revealed in the journal Pediatrics.

The author explained that several studies had revealed a significantly higher suicide rate among young gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, compared to their heterosexual peers.

This latest study, Hatzenbuehler believes, may explain some reasons behind a higher risk of suicide among young lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals.

31,852 students in 11th Grade had completed the 2006-2008 Oregon Healthy Teens survey. Hatzenbuehler created a composite index of the social environment in 34 counties. He found that LGBs in communities that were less supportive of homosexuality had a 20% higher suicide rate compared to LGBs in supportive counties.

Examples of aspects that defined a supportive environment included:

• Active anti-bullying policies
• Active anti-discrimination policies
• Presence of gay-straight alliances

Schools that implemented these policies were seen to foster a supportive and inclusive environment. Not only was the suicide rate lower among young LGBs, the author noted, but also among young heterosexuals.

Overall, 21.5% of young LGBs were likely to have tried to commit suicide during the preceding 12 months, compared to 4.2% of heterosexual young people. LGBs in unsupportive environments were 20% more likely to attempt suicide compared to LGBs in supportive ones.

It was also evident that other factors linked to mental health problems were less prevalent in supportive environments, such as depressive symptoms, physical abuse by adults, peer victimization, and binge drinking.

Hatzenbuehler concluded:

"This study documents an association between an objective measure of the social environment and suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. The social environment appears to confer risk for suicide attempts over and above individual-level risk factors. These results have important implications for the development of policies and interventions to reduce sexual orientation-related disparities in suicide attempts.

"The Social Environment and Suicide Attempts in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth"
Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD
PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3020)

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
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