Suicidality Among Sexual Minority Adults: Gender, Age, and Race/Ethnicity Differences

Barriers and risk factors associated with non-treatment-seeking for suicidality onset during the COVID-19 pandemic among young adults

INTRODUCTION

Researchers predict long-term increases in suicide deaths following the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about risk factors for suicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal attempts (SA) or treatment barriers and promoters during the pandemic. We examine these factors in a young adult sample.

METHODS

Analyses used a 2022 cross-sectional survey dataset (N = 1,956). Logistic regression identified factors associated with pandemic suicidality (i.e., SI, SA). Non-treatment seekers reported barriers to seeking treatment. Logistic regression identified promotive factors associated with treatment-seeking.

RESULTS

28.6 % of our sample developed suicidality during the pandemic, of whom 49.6 % did not seek treatment. Asian race and sexual minority status were strongly associated with increased odds of pandemic suicidality. Among SI non-treatment-seekers, barriers were primarily attitudinal (e.g., "symptoms are not serious enough for treatment"); among non-treatment-seekers with SA, barriers were mostly structural (e.g., insufficient funds). Previous depression treatment was strongly associated with increased odds of treatment-seeking.

CONCLUSION

Asian American individuals were at increased risk for pandemic suicidality, which may reflect interpersonal risks related to COVID-19-related anti-Asian racism. Our findings point to a "foot-in-the-door" effect: past treatment-seeking was positively associated with future treatment-seeking. To promote this effect and decrease barriers, we suggest integrated mental health screening and referrals in primary care.

Protective and Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Among Sexual Minority Women in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the factors associated with suicidal ideation and behavior and serious suicidal ideation and behavior among sexual minority women (SMW), including resilience, discrimination, mental health, and sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: Web-based surveys were conducted with SMW from across the United States during January-February, 2022 using psychometric valid tools. Bivariate, hierarchical regression, and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: Of 497 participants, 70% were identified as bisexual and 30% as lesbian. The mean scores for anxiety, depression, and stress were significantly higher among bisexual women compared to their lesbian counterparts (p < 0.05). The proportion of serious suicidal ideation and behavior was higher among bisexual women compared to lesbian women (53.9% vs. 41.2%, p = 0.012). Conversely, the mean scores of resilience were lower among bisexual women compared to lesbian women (139.7 ± 33.4 vs. 147.5 ± 33.6, p = 0.024). Lesbian women had nearly 57.4% lower odds of having serious suicidal ideation and behavior as compared to bisexual women (adjusted odds ratio = 0.426; p = 0.023). Experiencing anxiety, depression, victimization distress, and family discrimination distress were positively associated with serious suicidal ideation and behavior, whereas personal resilience and family cohesion were negatively associated with serious suicidal ideation and behavior. Conclusions: Tackling structural inequities such as racism and homophobia remains vital to improving the mental health of SMW. Interventions to strengthen social and familial supports may be particularly impactful, especially at the family level.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Suicide Outcomes in Transgender and Gender Diverse Young Adults

OBJECTIVE

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations have a higher prevalence of suicide outcomes compared to cisgender peers. Further, among TGD groups, young adults frequently demonstrate a higher risk compared to other age cohorts. While evidence supports sociodemographic differences in suicide risk, these relationships are not well-established for TGD young adults.

METHOD

A secondary data analysis of the young adult (18-24 years) subpopulation of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey was conducted. Predicted probabilities of 12-month and lifetime suicide outcomes by gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, homelessness, and poverty were estimated comparing fully adjusted models.

RESULTS

Gender identity, race/ethnicity, and homelessness were significantly associated with all suicide outcomes. Comparisons of gender identities were significant for all outcomes and varied based on the outcome. American Indian/Alaska Native TGD young adults had the highest predicted probabilities compared to other race/ethnicity groups. Further, having a heterosexual/straight sexual identity was among the lowest predicted probabilities for suicide outcomes and significantly differed from several of the other sexual identities.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings underscore the importance of heterogeneity among TGD young adults and the need for intersectional research within this population. Elucidating sociodemographic characteristics that contribute to differential suicide risk is necessary for effective intervention strategies and policy advocacy.

Stigma, Mental Health, and Health care Use Among Rural Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) frequently experience depression and health care-related stigma. Health care satisfaction is important for seeking care, but little is known about SGM health care satisfaction, and especially as it relates to depression among rural SGM. From May 25 to July 2, 2021, we surveyed rural Illinois (IL) individuals aged ≥18 years on the topics of demographics, depression, health care satisfaction, past health care experiences, internalized stigma, and victimization. Among the 398 respondents, the gender identity distribution included cisgender males and females (171 and 203, respectively) and transgender males and females (8 and 7, respectively), while sexual orientation included heterosexuals (114), gay/lesbians (143), and other orientations (141). Analyses were conducted with respect to both identity and orientation (and their interaction). In univariate analysis, transgender individuals were more likely than cisgender to screen positive for depression and less likely to report feeling accepted by their medical provider. Compared to heterosexual respondents, gay/lesbians and other orientations were more likely to screen positive for depression. In logistic regression, factors associated with increased risk of depression included nonheterosexual orientation and past poor health care experiences. In linear regression, factors most commonly associated with the seven satisfaction subscales include: sexual orientation, past poor experiences, and employment. There were significant differences in depression across both sexual orientation and gender identity, and in health care satisfaction by sexual orientation. Rural SGMs are more vulnerable to depression and less likely to report satisfactory care. As health care engagement is critical for screening and care adherence, engaging rural SGM in a routine and satisfactory fashion is needed.

Sociodemographic inequalities of suicide: a population-based cohort study of adults in England and Wales 2011-21

BACKGROUND

The risk of suicide is complex and often a result of multiple interacting factors. Understanding which groups of the population are most at risk of suicide is important to inform the development of targeted public health interventions.

METHODS

We used a novel linked dataset that combined the 2011 Census with the population-level mortality data in England and Wales. We fitted generalized linear models with a Poisson link function to estimate the rates of suicide across different sociodemographic groups and to identify which characteristics are independent predictors of suicide.

RESULTS

Overall, the highest rates of suicide were among men aged 40-50 years, individuals who reported having a disability or long-term health problem, those who were unemployed long term or never had worked, and those who were single or separated. After adjusting for other characteristics such as employment status, having a disability or long-term health problem, was still found to increase the incidence of suicide relative to those without impairment [incidence rate ratio minimally adjusted (women) = 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.3-3.6; fully adjusted (women) 3.1, 95% CI = 3.0-3.3]. Additionally, while the absolute rate of suicide was lower in women compared with men, the relative risk in people reporting impairments compared with those who do not was higher in women compared with men.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this work provide novel population-level insights into the risk of suicide by sociodemographic characteristics in England and Wales. Our results highlight several sociodemographic groups who may benefit from more targeted suicide prevention policies and practices.

Accounting for diversity in the treatment of suicide and self-injury: A systematic review of the past 50 years of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

Patients receiving treatment for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) have diverse backgrounds, yet it remains unclear exactly who is represented in the current SITB treatment literature.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of the past 50 years of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing SITB treatments to evaluate sampling practices and reporting of sample characteristics, as well as inclusion of global populations across the included 525 papers. We also assessed changes over the past five decades in these three domains.

RESULTS

SITB RCTs frequently reported age and sex (98.6%-95.1%), less frequently reported race (83.4%-38.6%), socioeconomic status (48.1%-46.1%) and ethnicity (41.9%-8.1%), and rarely reported LGBTQ+ status (3.7%-1.6%). U.S.-based RCTs featured predominantly White, non-Hispanic, and non-LGBTQ+ samples. Most RCTs were conducted in high-income North American or European countries. Sample reporting practices, sample representativeness, and inclusion of global populations modestly and inconsistently improved over time.

CONCLUSIONS

There has not been substantial improvement in reporting practices, sample representativeness, or inclusion of global populations in SITB RCTs over the past 50 years. Acknowledging who is being studied and representing diverse populations in SITB treatment research is key to connecting research advances with those who may need it most.

Reversible gender privacy enhancement via adversarial perturbations

The significant advancement in deep learning has made it feasible to extract gender from faces accurately. However, such unauthorized extraction would pose potential threats to individual privacy. Existing protection schemes for gender privacy have exhibited satisfactory performance. Nevertheless, they suffer from gender inference from gender-related attributes and fail to support the recovery of the original image. In this paper, we propose a novel gender privacy protection scheme that aims to enhance gender privacy while supporting reversibility. Firstly, our scheme utilizes continuously optimized adversarial perturbations to prevent gender recognition from unauthorized classifiers. Meanwhile, gender-related attributes are concealed for classifiers, which prevents the inference of gender from these attributes, thereby enhancing gender privacy. Moreover, an identity preservation constraint is added to maintain identity preservation. Secondly, reversibility is supported by a reversible image transformation, allowing the perturbations to be securely removed to losslessly recover the original face when required. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our scheme in gender privacy protection, identity preservation, and reversibility.

Global cross-cultural validation of a brief measure for identifying potential suicide risk in 42 countries

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the P4 suicide screener in a multinational sample. The primary goal was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale and investigate its convergent validity by analyzing its correlation with depression, anxiety, and substance use.

STUDY DESIGN

The study design is a cross-sectional self-report study conducted across 42 countries.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, self-report study was conducted in 42 countries, with a total of 82,243 participants included in the final data set.

RESULTS

The study provides an overview of suicide ideation rates across 42 countries and confirms the structural validity of the P4 screener. The findings indicated that sexual and gender minority individuals exhibited higher rates of suicidal ideation. The P4 screener showed adequate reliability, convergence, and discriminant validity, and a cutoff score of 1 is recommended to identify individuals at risk of suicidal behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

The study supports the reliability and validity of the P4 suicide screener across 42 diverse countries, highlighting the importance of using a cross-cultural suicide risk assessment to standardize the identification of high-risk individuals and tailoring culturally sensitive suicide prevention strategies.

Building stronger bonds: The impact of family support and communication on suicidal behaviors among Black men who have sex with men

INTRODUCTION

It has been well documented that men who identify with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual are at a greater risk for suicide-related outcomes. What is less known are the protective factors that can reduce such negative outcomes and contribute to their resilience.

METHODS

This study used data collected between December 1, 2021, and January 2022 to understand how family factors contribute to or prevent depression symptoms and suicide outcomes among young Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) ages 18 to 29 (N = 400). A path analysis was conducted to explore the direct and indirect effects of suicide attempts.

RESULTS

Surprisingly, there were nuanced findings that showed having a family member or friend die by suicide was indirectly associated with suicide planning and suicide attempts. It was also unexpectedly noted that there was a positive relationship between higher rates of depressive symptoms and higher levels of support from family members.

CONCLUSIONS

The population focused on in this study is understudied and has unique needs. Identifying familial support may not automatically reduce the thoughts and plans of young BMSM, which is an example of why their intersecting marginalized identities must be considered when conducting further research, creating interventions, and providing therapeutic services.

Family as a Pathway to Suicidal Behaviors Through Depression Symptoms and Internalized Homophobia

Research consistently highlights how systemic and social factors can adversely impact mental health, and the potential buffering effects of family support, yet raced sexual minorities are vastly underrepresented among these studies. As rates of suicide increase among Black people and remain high among men and those in gender and sexually diverse communities, this study sought to examine to relationships between family dynamics and suicidality among young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in young adulthood. We used an online survey to conduct a logistic regression to examine family factors (family support, open family communication, other adult support, and other adult value), depression symptoms, and internalized homophobia on suicide attempts. The conceptualization of the study's design and interpretation of the results were informed by minority stress theory and the phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory. The results indicate that higher levels of family support and open family communication were associated with lower levels of suicidality. Implications for future research and applications for healthcare providers and human services professionals who support young Black MSM in emerging adulthood are discussed.

Perceived Community Belonging as a Moderator of the Association Between Sexual Orientation and Health and Well-Being

PURPOSE

This study examines the moderating role of perceived community belonging in the association between sexual orientation and various health and well-being outcomes.

DESIGN

A national cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Confidential microdata from the 2021 Canadian Community Health Survey.

SUBJECTS

Individuals aged 15 and older, with a sample size ranging from 43,000 to 44,100.

MEASURES

Sexual orientation, health and well-being outcomes, and sense of community belonging were all self-reported. Outcomes included self-rated general and mental health, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction.

ANALYSIS

A series of multiple linear regression models.

RESULTS

Compared to heterosexual individuals, bisexual individuals reported poorer self-rated general health (b = .402, P < .001 for men; b = .454, P < .001 for women) and mental health (b = .520, P < .001 for men; b = .643, P < .001 for women), higher depressive symptoms (b = 2.140, P < .001 for men; b = 2.685, P < .001 for women), and lower life satisfaction (b = .383, P < .05 for men; b = .842, P < .001 for women). Few disparities were observed among gay men and lesbians. Contrary to some recent findings, no disparities were observed among individuals uncertain about their sexual orientation or those who chose not to disclose it, even without controlling for covariates. A stronger sense of community belonging mitigated the disadvantages associated with self-rated general health (b = -.276, P < .01) and depressive symptoms (b = -.983, P < .01) for gay men, and life satisfaction (b = -.621, P < .01) for lesbians.

CONCLUSION

This study is among the first to highlight the stress-buffering role of community belonging in the association between sexual orientation and health and well-being outcomes.

Research, practice, and data informed investigations of child and youth suicide: A science to service and service to science approach

BACKGROUND

Suicide rates for children and adolescents have been increasing over the past 2 decades. In April 2023, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) convened a two-day workshop to address child and youth suicide.

PURPOSE

The workshop focus was to discuss the state of the science and stimulate a collaborative response between researchers, death investigators, and data collection teams to build a science to service and service to science approach toward understanding - and ultimately preventing - this growing problem of child and youth suicide.

HIGHLIGHTS

Topics that meeting participants highlighted as worthy of further consideration for research and practice were: increasing awareness among death investigators, medical examiners, and coroners that child suicide deaths under age 10 years do occur and should be investigated and documented accordingly; emphasizing the value of science based protocols for child and youth death investigations to enhance consistency of approaches; and articulating needs for postvention services to suicide loss survivors.

OUTCOMES

The importance of collecting an accurate and complete cause and manner of death (i.e., unintentional, suicide, homicide, undetermined) among all child decedents, and demographic information such as race, ethnicity, and sexual/gender minority status was underscored as critical for enhanced surveillance. For prevention efforts, approaches to assessing and understanding suicidal thoughts and behaviors among diverse groups of children, and the variability in proximal and distal risk factors are needed to inform opportunities for preventive interventions for diverse communities. The need for consistent measures and processes to improve death investigations, fatality review committees, and coordination between data collection systems and agencies was also raised.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Collaborations among researchers, death investigators, and data collection teams can help to fully describe the child and youth suicide crisis and provide actionable information for new research, and prevention and response efforts.

Sexual Orientation and Age-Related Patterns of Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Adults

Purpose: We aimed to explore whether and how suicidal ideation differs according to specific sexual orientations (i.e., heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual orientation) and age groups in gender-stratified analyses. Methods: We identified state health departments from nine U.S. states that collected Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data on both sexual orientation and suicidal ideation from 2011 to 2018 for adults aged 18 and older (n = 113,337). Logistic regression and average marginal effects (AME) were used to examine the likelihood of suicidal ideation by sexual orientation, gender, and age. Results: We found that after important sociodemographic and socioeconomic controls, sexual minority adult men and women experienced significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation than their same-gender heterosexual counterparts. After all adjustments, lesbian women had more than three times higher odds and bisexual women had almost four times higher odds than heterosexual women. Compared with heterosexual men, gay men reported twice higher odds and bisexual men exhibited 3.67 times higher odds of suicidal ideation. Analysis of the AME revealed age-specific disparities. The likelihood of suicidal ideation for bisexual men aged 18-24 years was significantly higher than that for gay and heterosexual men of the same age. Among women, bisexual women closer to middle age (35-44 years) experienced a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation than heterosexual or lesbian women of the same age. Conclusion: The elevated risk of suicidal ideation among sexual minority people throughout different stages of adulthood has important implications for policies and support services.

Sexual orientation disparities in the prevalence of suicidal ideation among U.S adults aged 20 to 59 years: Results from NHANES 2005-2016

Existing studies have been limited in providing nationally representative data on the relationship between sexual orientation and suicidal ideation (SI) among adults in the U.S. particularly in terms of gender and racial differences. To fill this research gap, we conducted a study using data from the NHANES conducted between 2005 and 2016. Survey-weighted logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between sexual orientation and SI risk. Additionally, we performed further analysis by stratifying the data based on demographic variables and performed sensitivity analysis to ensure the reliability of our findings. This study included a weighted sample of 16,564 adults, representing a noninstitutionalized U.S population of 840.1 million. The overall age-adjusted prevalence of SI was found to be 3.5 %. After adjusting for relevant covariates, the study revealed that individuals who identified as something else, homosexual, and bisexual had a higher prevalence risk of suicidal ideation (SI) compared to heterosexual participants. Additionally, the study found that heterosexual participants were 74.4 % less likely to experience SI compared to bisexual individuals. These findings highlight the urgent requirement for inclusive and supportive prevention strategies to effectively address SI among adult sexual minorities in the U.S.

Intersectional Prevalence of Suicide Ideation, Plan, and Attempt Based on Gender, Sexual Orientation, Race and Ethnicity, and Rurality

Importance

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are major public health problems, and some social groups experience disproportionate STB burden. Studies assessing STB inequities for single identities (eg, gender or sexual orientation) cannot evaluate intersectional differences and do not reflect that the causes of inequities are due to structural-level (vs individual-level) processes.

Objective

To examine differences in STB prevalence at the intersection of gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, and rurality.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study used adult data from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a population-based sample of noninstitutionalized US civilians. Data were analyzed from July 2022 to March 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Outcomes included past-year suicide ideation, plan, and attempt, each assessed with a single question developed for the NSDUH. Intersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) models were estimated, in which participants were nested within social strata defined by all combinations of gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, and rurality; outcome prevalence estimates were obtained for each social stratum. Social strata were conceptualized as proxies for exposure to structural forms of discrimination that contribute to health advantages or disadvantages (eg, sexism, racism).

Results

The analytic sample included 189 800 adults, of whom 46.5% were men; 53.5%, women; 4.8%, bisexual; 93.0%, heterosexual; 2.2%, lesbian or gay; 18.8%, Hispanic; 13.9%, non-Hispanic Black; and 67.2%, non-Hispanic White. A total of 44.6% were from large metropolitan counties; 35.5%, small metropolitan counties; and 19.9%, nonmetropolitan counties. There was a complex social patterning of STB prevalence that varied across social strata and was indicative of a disproportionate STB burden among multiply marginalized participants. Specifically, the highest estimated STB prevalence was observed among Hispanic (suicide ideation: 18.1%; 95% credible interval [CrI], 13.5%-24.3%) and non-Hispanic Black (suicide plan: 7.9% [95% CrI, 4.5%-12.1%]; suicide attempt: 3.3% [95% CrI, 1.4%-6.2%]) bisexual women in nonmetropolitan counties.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study, intersectional exploratory analyses revealed that STB prevalence was highest among social strata including multiply marginalized individuals (eg, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black bisexual women) residing in more rural counties. The findings suggest that considering and intervening in both individual-level (eg, psychiatric disorders) and structural-level (eg, structural discrimination) processes may enhance suicide prevention and equity efforts.

Mental Health Disparities in Sexual Minority and Transgender Women: Implications and Considerations for Treatment

Minority stress theory offers an explanation of how discrimination, marginalization, harassment, and violence against sexual minority and transgender women are connected to mental health disparities. Particularly, these groups are vulnerable to body image issues, disordered eating, higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury, and substance use. Discrimination is also experienced within clinical settings, which may lead this population to postpone or avoid treatment. Clinicians play a crucial role in reducing barriers to health care by developing cultural competency and ensuring safe and affirming spaces within their practice.

Sleep deprivation and suicide risk among minoritized US adolescents

OBJECTIVES

To assess (1) the prevalence of suicide ideation/behavior among adolescents with short sleep by race/ethnicity and (2) the association between sleep duration and suicidal ideation and behavior among American youth by race/ethnicity from 2007 to 2019.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between sleep duration and suicidal ideation/behavior.

RESULTS

Overall, suicide ideation/behavior increased among U.S. adolescents of all racial groups from 2007 to 2019. Adjusting for race/ethnicity, sexual identity, age, sex, substance use, trauma, and bullying, those with short sleep had approximately twice the odds [OR: 1.92 (95% CI: 1.65, 2.23)] of suicide ideation/consideration compared to those with long sleep. Stratified analyses indicated that Black students with short sleep had higher odds of making a suicide plan (OR = 1.51, 95% C.I.: 1.27, 1.79) compared with Black students with long sleep. A similar pattern was observed across other racial/ethnic groups (e.g., Hispanic: (OR = 1.74, 95% C.I.: 1.53, 1.97).

CONCLUSION

Emphasis on suicide interventions is of the essence, especially with increasing rates. Sleep duration significantly predicts suicide risk among all adolescents. Additional research is needed to assess factors that predict suicide among minoritized adolescents, specifically Black and Hispanic adolescents.

Suicidality and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth and adults in Canada: a cross-sectional, population-based study

BACKGROUND

Sexual and gender minority populations experience elevated risks for suicidality. This study aimed to assess prevalence and disparities in non-fatal suicidality and potential protective factors related to social support and health care access among sexual and gender minority youth and adults and their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts in Canada. The second objective was to examine changes in the prevalence of suicidal ideation and protective factors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Pooled data from the 2015, 2016 and 2019 Canadian Community Health Surveys were used to estimate pre-pandemic prevalence of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts, and protective factors. The study also estimated changes in the prevalence of recent suicidal ideation and protective factors in fall 2020, compared with the same period pre-pandemic.

RESULTS

The prevalence of suicidality was higher among the sexual minority populations compared with the heterosexual population, and the prevalence was highest among the bisexual population, regardless of sex or age group. The pre-pandemic prevalence of recent suicidal ideation was 14.0% for the bisexual population, 5.2% for the gay/lesbian population, and 2.4% for the heterosexual population. The prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts was 16.6%, 8.6%, and 2.8% respectively. More than 40% of sexual minority populations aged 15-44 years had lifetime suicidal ideation; 64.3% and 36.5% of the gender minority population had lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Sexual and gender minority populations had a lower prevalence of protective factors related to social support and health care access. The prevalence of recent suicidal ideation among sexual and gender minority populations increased in fall 2020, and they tended to experience longer wait times for immediate care needed.

CONCLUSIONS

Sexual and gender minority populations had a higher prevalence of suicidality and less social support and health care access compared to the heterosexual and cisgender populations. The pandemic was associated with increased suicidal ideation and limited access to care for these groups. Public health interventions that target modifiable protective factors may help decrease suicidality and reduce health disparities.

Availability of LGBTQ Mental Health Services for US Youth, 2014 to 2020

This survey study reports the variability of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) youth–specific mental health care in the US from 2014 to 2020.

Depression at the intersection of race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and sexual orientation in a nationally representative sample of US adults: A design-weighted MAIHDA

This study examined how race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and sexual orientation intersect to socially pattern depression among US adults. We used repeated, cross-sectional data from the 2015-2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH; n=234,772) to conduct design-weighted multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) for two outcomes: past-year and lifetime major depressive episode (MDE). With 42 intersectional groups constructed from seven race/ethnicity, two sex/gender, and three sexual orientation categories, we estimated group-specific prevalence and excess/reduced prevalence attributable to intersectional effects (i.e., two-way or higher interactions between identity variables). Models revealed heterogeneity between intersectional groups, with prevalence estimates ranging from 3.4-31.4% (past-year) and 6.7-47.4% (lifetime). Model main effects indicated that people who were Multiracial, White, women, gay/lesbian, or bisexual had greater odds of MDE. Additive effects of race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and sexual orientation explained most between-group variance; however, approximately 3% (past-year) and 12% (lifetime) were attributable to intersectional effects, with some groups experiencing excess/reduced prevalence. For both outcomes, sexual orientation main effects (42.9-54.0%) explained a greater proportion of between-group variance relative to race/ethnicity (10.0-17.1%) and sex/gender (7.5-7.9%). Notably, we extend MAIHDA to calculate nationally representative estimates to open future opportunities to quantify intersectionality with complex sample survey data.

The Complexity of Trauma for LGBTQ+ People

Trauma care is complex. Acute and critical care clinicians perceive trauma as a skilled response to critical injury or accident that occurs to patients, but trauma exists on many levels. One of those is a grim reality for patients who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and from other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+). A lifetime of trauma through stigma, discrimination, and victimization is too often present. Owing to distrust of the health care system and clinicians, LGBTQ+ experience health and health care disparities.

Mental Health Service Use Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults Who Report Having Attempted Suicide

OBJECTIVE

This study estimated mental health service use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults in the United States who reported having made a suicide attempt.

METHODS

Data came from the pooled 2015-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Of the 191,954 adult respondents, 1,946 reported a past-year suicide attempt. Survey-weighted descriptive and regression analyses were conducted to compare mental health service use among LGB and heterosexual adults.

RESULTS

Three percent of LGB adults (N=598) reported having attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 0.5% of heterosexual adults (N=1,348). Mental health treatment use was significantly higher among LGB adults than among heterosexual adults (64% versus 56%) before analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Because suicide attempts and mental health use are elevated among LGB adults, clinicians must provide evidence-based approaches for identifying and managing suicide risk to LGB adults in an affirming manner.

A National Study on Religiosity and Suicide Risk by Sexual Orientation

INTRODUCTION

Although religiosity is known to predict lower suicide risk among the general population, it is unclear how different aspects of religiosity such as religious beliefs and attendance are associated with suicide risk among sexual minorities relative to heterosexual populations.

METHODS

Analyzing nationally representative data from the 2016-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2022 (N=163,995), this study conducted logistic regressions to link suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts with religious beliefs and attendance. Moderation analyses were used to assess how religiosity is differentially linked to suicide risk among heterosexual, gay/lesbian, and bisexual males and females.

RESULTS

Although higher religiosity is consistently associated with lower suicide risk among heterosexual people, the effects of religiosity may be less beneficial or even harmful among sexual minorities. Specifically, religious attendance is associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among heterosexual people, but it is also related to higher odds among gay/lesbian and bisexual people. In addition, religious beliefs are associated with lower odds of suicidal plans and attempts among heterosexual people, but this association is significantly weaker for bisexual people. These findings are more pronounced among gay males and bisexual females.

CONCLUSIONS

Using population-based data, this study shows that the relationships between religiosity and suicide risk vary by sexual orientation and gender and that religious beliefs and religious attendance are differentially associated with suicide risk among sexual minorities. Future research should continue to explore how various aspects of religious participation may influence the mental health of diverse sexual minority communities.

Moderating Effect of Community and Individual Resilience on Structural Stigma and Suicidal Ideation among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults in the United States

BACKGROUND

Structural stigma in the form of discriminatory laws and policies impacts the mental health of sexual and gender minorities, especially with regard to suicidality. However, this relationship could be moderated by resilience. The past two years has brought anti-SGM legislation, particularly transgender sports bans, at the state level in the United States into focus. This study aims to understand if the relationship between familiarity with transgender sports bans (proposed or enacted) and suicidality was moderated by individual or community resilience.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of survey data collected from a national sample of 1033 SGM adults in the United States between 28 January and 7 February 2022. Univariate and multivariate moderation analyses were used.

RESULTS

In the univariate analyses and the final model, community resilience moderated the relationship between structural stigma and suicidality (p = 0.0002); however, individual resilience did not (p = 0.0664).

CONCLUSION

Interventions to bolster community resilience may attenuate the negative mental health impacts of structural stigma and are warranted, along with concerted efforts to minimize structural stigma in the form of discriminatory laws and policies targeting people who are SGM.

Sleep disturbance and suicide risk among sexual and gender minority people

Sleep disturbance has emerged as an independent, mechanistic, and modifiable risk factor for suicide. Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people disproportionately experience sleep disturbance and are at higher risk of death by suicide relative to cisgender and/or heterosexual individuals. The present narrative review evaluates nascent research related to sleep disturbance and suicide-related thoughts and behaviors (STBs) among SGM populations, and discusses how experiences of minority stress may explain heightened risk among SGM people. Although there is a growing understanding of the link between sleep disturbance and STBs, most research has not been conducted in SGM populations or has not examined suicide as an outcome. Research is needed to examine whether and how aspects of sleep disturbances relate to STBs among SGM people in order to better tailor sleep treatments for SGM populations.

Interpersonal and self-directed violence among sexual and gender minority populations: Moving research from prevalence to prevention

Purpose of review

This scoping review of reviews aimed to detail the breadth of violence research about sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in terms of the three generations of health disparities research (i.e., documenting, understanding, and reducing disparities).

Recent findings

Seventy-three reviews met inclusion criteria. Nearly 70% of the reviews for interpersonal violence and for self-directed violence were classified as first-generation studies. Critical third-generation studies were considerably scant (7% for interpersonal violence and 6% for self-directed violence).

Summary

Third-generation research to reduce or prevent violence against SGM populations must account for larger scale social environmental dynamics. Sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection has increased in population-based health surveys, but administrative datasets (e.g., health care, social services, coroner and medical examiner offices, law enforcement) must begin including SOGI to meet the needs of scaled public health interventions to curb violence among SGM communities.

Innovative Directions to Advance Mental Health Disparities Research

Disparities in mental health have persisted or worsened despite our awareness of their existence, increased understanding of their causes, and efforts at reduction and mitigation. Although much is known, there is still much to be done in mental health research to meaningfully impact disparities. In November 2020, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) co-sponsored a virtual workshop to explore the complexities of mental health disparities, which revealed several gaps and opportunities for the field to pursue to advance mental health disparities research. This article, the introduction to a Special Issue on Mental Health Disparities, provides a frame for four articles that stem from and are inspired by the virtual NIMH/NIMHD workshop, all of which illustrate innovative research on understanding the complex mechanisms of disparities and how this knowledge can be translated into effective intervention development that advances mental health equity.

Collection of Data on Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity by U.S. Public Health Data and Monitoring Systems, 2015-2018

We aimed to assess Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data systems on the extent of data collection on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as on age and race/ethnicity. Between March and September 2019, we searched 11 federal websites to identify CDC-supported or -led U.S. data systems active between 2015 and 2018. We searched the systems' website, documentation, and publications for evidence of data collection on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and race/ethnicity. We categorized each system by type (disease notification, periodic prevalence survey, registry/vital record, or multiple sources). We provide descriptive statistics of characteristics of the identified systems. Most (94.1%) systems we assessed collected data on sex. All systems collected data on age, and approximately 80% collected data on race/ethnicity. Only 17.7% collected data on sexual orientation and 5.9% on gender identity. Periodic prevalence surveys were the most common system type for collecting all the variables we assessed. While most U.S. public health data and monitoring systems collect data disaggregated by sex, age, and race/ethnicity, far fewer do so for sexual orientation or gender identity. Standards and examples exist to aid efforts to collect and report these vitally important data. Additionally important is increasing accessibility and appropriately tailored dissemination of reports of these data to public health professionals and other collaborators.