Suicidality and Depression Disparities Between Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review

Marshal, Michael P.; Dietz, Laura J.; Friedman, Mark; Stall, Ron; Smith, Howard C.; McGinley, James S.; Thoma, Brian C.; Murray, Pamela J.; D’Augelli, Anthony R.; Brent, David A.

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.02.005

Cited by 1,009 publications

(721 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Several studies over the years have documented higher rates of physical and sexual violence toward LGB youth compared to heterosexual peers, including in Canada (Saewyc, et al, 2006). In a meta-analysis of these studies, moderation analyses showed bisexual adolescents had even higher odds of family physical abuse and skipping school because they felt unsafe than gay and lesbian youth (Friedman, et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in suicidality among sexual minority and heterosexual students in a canadian population-based cohort study.

Peter

Edkins

Watson

et al. 2017

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

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Objectives-Despite evidence from numerous studies that document disparities in suicidality for sexual minorities, few have investigated whether or not these trends have improved over time, which is the objective of the current study.Methods-Using school-based population data over a 15-year period (1998 to 2013), multivariate logistic regressions were used to calculate age-adjusted odds ratios separately by gender. Interactions were included to test widening or narrowing disparities within orientation groups, which makes this one of the first studies to test whether gaps in disparities between heterosexual and sexual minorities have widened or narrowed over time. Results-Resultsshow that sexual minority youth are persistently at a greater risk for suicidal behaviour, a trend that has continued particularly for bisexual youth of both sexes. Results also suggest that the gap in suicidal behaviour is widening among some female sexual orientation groups, yet narrowing for other male sexual orientation groups.Conclusions-These findings have important public health implications, especially since we see decreases in suicidal behaviour for heterosexual adolescents, but not in the same way for many sexual minority youth, despite advances in social acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues in North America. KeywordsSexual orientation; Suicidal behaviour; Heterosexual/Bisexual/Gay/Lesbian; Adolescents; Population Surveys; Health Disparities According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is one of the leading causes of youth fatality (15-24 years of age) around the world (WHO, 2014). In Canada, approximately 500 youth (ages 10 to 24) have died by suicide every year from 2007 to 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2012 (Oquendo, Currier, & Mann, 2006;Troister, Links, & Cutcliffe, 2008). To this end, these suicidal behaviour measures are important indicators for research as it allows for the identification of sub-groups of youth, which aids in targeted prevention, intervention and post-intervention efforts. Review of the literatureResearch on sexual minority youth consistently shows that the prevalence of suicidal behaviour is higher than for their heterosexual peers. For instance, in a meta-analysis conducted by Marshal and colleagues (2011), sexual minority youth reported significantly higher rates of suicidality (OR=2.9) than heterosexual students. In a study that examined 9 population-based datasets of adolescent students from the U.S. and Canada, Saewyc and colleagues (2007) found that LGB youth were at a significantly higher risk of suicide ideation and attempt than heterosexual and mostly heterosexual students. More specifically, they found in most surveys that one-fourth to one-third of LGB adolescents reported suicide attempts, compared to one-tenth or less for their heterosexual peers. This overrepresentation of sexual minority youth in regards to suicidal behaviour has been observed elsewhere in the United States (Hatzenbuehler, 2011;Robinson, & Espelage, 2011) as well as internationally (Värnik et ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in suicidality among sexual minority and heterosexual students in a canadian population-based cohort study.

Peter

Edkins

Watson

et al. 2017

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…[5][6][7] On the other hand, it has been suggested that LGB adolescents may have LGB specific risk factors for suicide. 8 Researchers have therefore begun to focus on the identification of LGB-specific predictors to better explain and target the disparity in LGB adolescent suicidal behaviors.…”

Section: Implications and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School-Based Protective Factors Related to Suicide for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents

Whitaker

Shapiro

Shields³

2016

Journal of Adolescent Health

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“…heterosexuality is the only 'normal' or acceptable sexual orientation) and cis-normative (i.e. the assumption that all people are cisgender and/or should be cisgender) challenging environments and discrimination 4,5,9,10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Status of Double Minority Adolescents: Findings from National Cross-Sectional Health Surveys

Chiang

Fleming

Lucassen

et al. 2016

J Immigrant Minority Health

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Suicidality and Depression Disparities Between Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review

Cited by 1,009 publications

References 48 publications

Trends in suicidality among sexual minority and heterosexual students in a canadian population-based cohort study.

Trends in suicidality among sexual minority and heterosexual students in a canadian population-based cohort study.

School-Based Protective Factors Related to Suicide for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents

Mental Health Status of Double Minority Adolescents: Findings from National Cross-Sectional Health Surveys

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