Young adults' reactions to gay and lesbian peers who became suicidal following "coming out" to their parents

Rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior among gay and lesbian youth surpass those recorded among their heterosexual peers. A frequently cited precipitant of gay and lesbian nonfatal suicidal behavior is the turmoil associated with coming out to one's family. This study investigated young adults' attitudes toward peers who engaged in suicidal behavior after coming out and being rejected by their parents, and compared them with attitudes toward persons who had become suicidal in response to other stressors (a physical illness, a relationship loss, or an academic failure). Our goal was to explore whether young persons hold beliefs that may encourage lesbian and gay suicidal behavior. We found that gays and lesbians who engaged in suicidal behavior following coming out were not viewed in particularly forgiving or empathic ways, as was the case for persons who became suicidal following an incurable illness. All suicidal persons were perceived as relatively feminine. At the same time, suicidal males were rated as more masculine if they engaged in suicidal behavior because of an academic failure or a physical illness, while suicidal females were viewed as more masculine only if their suicidal behavior followed an academic failure. Finally, we found that both respondent sex and respondent gender-identity influenced evaluations of suicidal persons. Building on these findings, future research should explore attitudes toward the permissibility of a suicidal decision by lesbian and gay persons.

The role of gender and suicide precipitant in attitudes toward nonfatal suicide behavior

This study examined factors affecting young adults' attitudes about nonfatal suicidal behavior. It evaluated how respondent sex, respondent gender identity, the precipitant of the suicidal act (i.e., a relationship loss, an achievement failure, or a physical illness), and gender of the suicidal person influence reactions to a suicidal decision. In this study of nonfatal suicidal behavior, like in studies of suicide, attitudes were least negative when the suicidal act was in response to a physical illness. Men were more likely to agree with and accept the suicidal decision than women. Androgynous persons, on the other hand, tended to view the decision to kill oneself as foolish, independent of precipitant. They also reported less agreement, acceptance, and sympathy for such decision. The implications of these findings for the prevention of suicidal behaviors are considered. Because gender seems to play a role in the acceptability of suicidal behavior, prevention programs ought to explicitly examine gender issues in attitudes toward suicidal behavior.