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Abstract
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A study led by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that suicide risk among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults varied depending on demographic characteristics, such as the individual's age, gender, or race and ethnicity. The results were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Previous studies have underscored the heightened risk of suicide among LGB individuals compared with heterosexual individuals. However, according to the study's authors, limited research has assessed how risk differs based on someone's sexual orientation as well as that person's age, gender, or race and ethnicity.
The authors analyzed National Survey of Drug Use and Health data collected from 191 954 US adults--14 693 identified as LGB. Suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts that occurred within 12 months before the survey were more common among LGB adults than their heterosexual counterparts; when the authors adjusted for demographics, the risk was up to 6 times greater for LGB individuals among all age and race and ethnic groups.
When they accounted for age and race and ethnicity, the authors found that suicide risk among gay men wasn't significantly different than it was among bisexual men. Compared with Black LGB women, White LGB women were more likely to have suicidal thoughts or plans. On a more granular level, both Black and White bisexual women were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than their gay and lesbian peers. Among individuals aged 35 to 64 years, suicidal thoughts were also more common among bisexual women than lesbian or gay women...
Language: en |