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Community a Factor in Suicide Attempts by Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens

Community a Factor in Suicide Attempts by Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens The amount of support that a community has for its homosexual members is an independent risk factor for suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) teens, according to a recent study of nearly 32 000 11th graders in 34 Oregon counties. Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, in New York City, analyzed student data from 297 schools and reported that LGB teens living in unsupportive surroundings had a 20% higher risk of attempting suicide than those in more supportive areas. Even when Hatzenbuehler controlled for known risk factors for suicide attempts among LGB teens—depression, binge drinking, physical abuse by an adult, and being bullied by peers—social climate still was linked with a significant increase in attempted suicide. “Characteristics of the social environment increase the risk for suicide attempts among LGB youth, over and above individual-level risk factors,” Hatzenbuehler wrote (Hatzenbuehler ML. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3020. [published online April 18, 2011]). He noted that one of the strengths of the study is an index he developed to evaluate LGB students' social surroundings. Some studies have evaluated social support based only on participants' comments, which can blur the line between legally discriminatory practices and perceived discrimination. The index consists of 5 objective indicators, based in part on previous research with LGB adults, that correlated strongly with social support. Those indicators are the proportions of same-sex couples, Democratic party voters, schools with gay-straight alliances, schools with antibullying policies that specifically protect LGB students, and schools with antidiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation. The study is based on student responses in the 2006-2008 Oregon Healthy Teens survey as well as data from the US Census Bureau, Oregon Secretary of State Election Division, and the Oregon Department of Education. Of the students surveyed, 1% identified themselves as gay or lesbian and 3% as bisexual. Overall, 20% of lesbian and gay students and 22% of bisexual students said they had attempted suicide at least once during the previous 12 months. In contrast, 4% of heterosexual students reported a suicide attempt in the previous year. While LGB teens' risk of attempting suicide was 20% higher in areas with little or no support, the increased risk among heterosexual students in unsupportive surroundings was 9%. The findings suggest that schools should adopt policies to create more supportive and inclusive surroundings. By encouraging more positive environments, such policies could help reduce the risk of suicide attempts not only among LGB students, but also among heterosexual students. Hatzenbuehler said future research should try to determine more specifics about unsupportive surroundings that increase the risk of attempted suicide. As an example, he mentioned studies in which LGB adults living in states that deny them legal protections report that negative media portrayals, antigay graffiti, derogatory comments and jokes, and a lost sense of security are substantial sources of stress. “Stress contributes to the development of psychopathology, which in turn increases the risk of suicide attempts,” he wrote. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png JAMA American Medical Association

Community a Factor in Suicide Attempts by Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens

Voelker, Rebecca
JAMA , Volume 305 (19) – May 18, 2011
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Community a Factor in Suicide Attempts by Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens

Abstract

The amount of support that a community has for its homosexual members is an independent risk factor for suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) teens, according to a recent study of nearly 32 000 11th graders in 34 Oregon counties. Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, in New York City, analyzed student data from 297 schools and reported that LGB teens living in unsupportive surroundings had a 20% higher risk of attempting...
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Publisher
American Medical Association
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN
0098-7484
eISSN
1538-3598
DOI
10.1001/jama.2011.627
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The amount of support that a community has for its homosexual members is an independent risk factor for suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) teens, according to a recent study of nearly 32 000 11th graders in 34 Oregon counties. Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, in New York City, analyzed student data from 297 schools and reported that LGB teens living in unsupportive surroundings had a 20% higher risk of attempting suicide than those in more supportive areas. Even when Hatzenbuehler controlled for known risk factors for suicide attempts among LGB teens—depression, binge drinking, physical abuse by an adult, and being bullied by peers—social climate still was linked with a significant increase in attempted suicide. “Characteristics of the social environment increase the risk for suicide attempts among LGB youth, over and above individual-level risk factors,” Hatzenbuehler wrote (Hatzenbuehler ML. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2010-3020. [published online April 18, 2011]). He noted that one of the strengths of the study is an index he developed to evaluate LGB students' social surroundings. Some studies have evaluated social support based only on participants' comments, which can blur the line between legally discriminatory practices and perceived discrimination. The index consists of 5 objective indicators, based in part on previous research with LGB adults, that correlated strongly with social support. Those indicators are the proportions of same-sex couples, Democratic party voters, schools with gay-straight alliances, schools with antibullying policies that specifically protect LGB students, and schools with antidiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation. The study is based on student responses in the 2006-2008 Oregon Healthy Teens survey as well as data from the US Census Bureau, Oregon Secretary of State Election Division, and the Oregon Department of Education. Of the students surveyed, 1% identified themselves as gay or lesbian and 3% as bisexual. Overall, 20% of lesbian and gay students and 22% of bisexual students said they had attempted suicide at least once during the previous 12 months. In contrast, 4% of heterosexual students reported a suicide attempt in the previous year. While LGB teens' risk of attempting suicide was 20% higher in areas with little or no support, the increased risk among heterosexual students in unsupportive surroundings was 9%. The findings suggest that schools should adopt policies to create more supportive and inclusive surroundings. By encouraging more positive environments, such policies could help reduce the risk of suicide attempts not only among LGB students, but also among heterosexual students. Hatzenbuehler said future research should try to determine more specifics about unsupportive surroundings that increase the risk of attempted suicide. As an example, he mentioned studies in which LGB adults living in states that deny them legal protections report that negative media portrayals, antigay graffiti, derogatory comments and jokes, and a lost sense of security are substantial sources of stress. “Stress contributes to the development of psychopathology, which in turn increases the risk of suicide attempts,” he wrote.

Journal

JAMA – American Medical Association

Published: May 18, 2011

Keywords: adolescent,bisexuality,homosexuality,female homosexuality,suicide attempt

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