- There is limited understanding of the dimensions of sexual orientation and transgender status that are most meaningfully related to suicidality. 
- Surveys conducted in the United States (US) estimated that between 25 percent and 43 per cent of transgender adults report a suicide attempt over their lifetime. 
- Several experiential factors have been suggested which may predict suicidal behaviour among LGBT young people. These include experiences of homophobia, social isolation, substance abuse, and parental and sexual abuse. 
- However, it has been difficult for researchers to identify a common set of risk factors
because they appear to be multiple and cumulative, and, importantly, they are also
interconnected with problems common among young people generally. 

Justification for this Study

- This analysis draws upon 17 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with
adult LGBT participants who reported having attempted suicide as young people.
- Using a sample of extracts drawn from those interviews, we provide a rich understanding of participants’ perceptions of the circumstances that related to their own attempted suicide in youth.
- To be eligible for this study, participants needed to self-identify as LGB or T, be over 18 years of age, and at least 6 months had passed since their last suicide attempt which was judged to be life threatening (whether they had intended to die or not). 

Study Methodology

- Participants were aged between 26 and 52 years at the time of interview. 
- The average age at which participants indicated they made their first suicide attempt was 17.6 years (SD = 3.4 years; range 11-24 years). Average number of years between first suicide attempt and their age at the time of interview was 19.9 years (SD = 8.9 years; range 6-34 years). 
- Nine participants reported one suicide attempt, with the remaining participants reported two or more such attempts.
- Six participants identified as female, 10 as male and one gender-queer. One identified as bisexual, nine as gay, four as lesbian and three as ‘other’. Two identified as trans (one trans man and one trans woman).
- While the focus of the study was experiences in England, some
participants had migrated to England from a wide variety of countries; therefore, the sample represented an international perspective in terms of early influences.

Study Participants

- These findings offer an insight into the complex and often multifaceted experiences of a sample of LGBT adults who recounted their narratives of growing up – often in hostile or unaffirming environments. 
- Experiences of rejection by intimate partners, peers, friends and, not
insignificantly, family members represent a thread we see running through all of our participants’ stories.
- Several themes were identified across participants. 


- Theme 1: Conflicts of being ‘out’: Stressors associated with LGBT suicide attempts in
early life.
- Theme 2: Concurrent mental health problems.
- Theme 3: Grieving over lost relationships.

Results of the Study

This study discusses the following topics based on its findings:

- Positive Role Models
- Informal Support Structures
- Engagement in Activities
- Common Factors in Suicide Attempts
- Protective Factors for Suicidality


Study Discussion

- Study Limitations 
- Generalization of the Study


Study Conclusions

- Evidence suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people are more likely to attempt to take their own lives in their youth when compared to heterosexuals. 
- This study draws on in depth interviews with 17 LGBT individuals living in England, and explores the narratives used by participants to better understand their perceptions of risk and protective circumstances to explain suicide attempts in youth.

Arizona State University

Suicidal ideation, thoughts and attempts.

Suicidality

Rivers, I., Gonzalez, C., Nodin, N., Peel, E., & Tyler, A. (2018). LGBT people and suicidality in youth: A qualitative study of perceptions of risk and protective circumstances. Social Science & Medicine, 212, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.06.040

LGBT People and Suicidality in Youth: A Qualitative Study of Perceptions of Risk and Protective Circumstances

Suicidality Among LGBT Youth

- Sexual minority youth (SMY) are at higher risk for victimization and suicide than are heterosexual youth (HY). 
- Relatively little research has examined which types of victimization are most closely linked to suicide, which is necessary to develop targeted prevention interventions. The present study was conducted to address this deficit.

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