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Social environment plays a factor in suicide attempts among gay youth

Hatzenbuehler M. Pediatrics. 2011;doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3020.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a study published online.

“Negative characteristics of the social environment increase risk for suicide attempts among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth, independent of individual-level risk factors” according to Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD,of Columbia University, who led the research that examined the environmental connections between suicide attempts among LGB youth.

The three goals of the study, according to Hatzenbuehler, were: “To examine whether the association between the social environment and suicide attempts remains significant after controlling for well-established risk factors for suicide attempts at the individual level, including depressive symptoms, alcohol abuse, peer victimization, and physical abuse by an adult; (2) to determine whether the association between LGB status and suicide attempts differs as a function of the social environment surrounding LGB youth (ie, effect modification); and (3) to evaluate whether the social environment can explain or account for the association between LGB status and suicide attempts (ie, mediation).”

Hatzenbuehler looked at data from 31,852 participants enrolled in the Oregon Healthy Teen study between 2006 and 2008. The research controlled for environmental variables such as how many same-sex couples lived in the community and whether schools had anti-bulling laws or antidiscrimination policies in place that protected LGB students.

Almost 20% of gay and lesbian youth and 22% of bisexual youth had attempted suicide at least once during the past year compared with only 4% of heterosexual youth.

“Additional research on the social determinants of mental health among LGB youth could provide a greater understanding of the etiology of sexual orientation-related disparities in suicide attempts and may ultimately facilitate the development of suicide-prevention programs that seek to reduce these disparities,” Hatzenbuehler concluded.

Disclosure: Dr. Hatzenbuehler reported no relevant financial disclosures. The study was funded by the NIH.

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