Suicide Risk and Sexual Orientation: A Critical Review

Plöderl, Martin; Wagenmakers, Eric‐Jan; Tremblay, Pierre; Ramsay, Rosalind; Kralovec, Karl; Fartacek, Clemens; Fartaćek, Reinhold

doi:10.1007/s10508-012-0056-y

Cited by 131 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 77 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…An exclusively gay sexual orientation was associated with greater health stress and the presence of suicidal thoughts compared to exclusively heterosexual men. This finding provides additional support for the findings of other studies in which it has been found that same-sex orientation within both men and women is associated with some poorer health outcomes, greater depression, and more suicide than an other-sex orientation (e.g., Boehmer et al, 2012; Collier et al, 2013; Fredriken-Goldsen et al, 2013; Hatzenbuehler et al, 2012; Petterson, VanderLaan, & Vasey, 2016; Ploderl et al, 2013; Rosario et al, 2014; Wichstrom & Hegna, 2003). However, the fact that some stressors were not elevated in gay male adolescents—and even, on some measures, seemed to reflect better adjustment—relative to heterosexual male adolescents also suggests complexity of adjustment, with some sexual minorities having a very good adjustment and a high degree of psychological resilience (e.g., Busseri, Willoughby, Chalmers, & Bogaert, 2006; Rieger & Savin-Williams, 2012; Savin-Williams, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Pubertal Stress and Nutrition and their Association with Sexual Orientation and Height in the Add Health Data

Skorska

Bogaert²

2016

Arch Sex Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A number of studies have indicated that gay men tend to be shorter, on average, than heterosexual men. Less evidence exists that lesbian women are taller, on average, than heterosexual women. The most popular explanation of the association between sexual orientation and height involves prenatal factors, such that, for example, gay men may have been exposed to lower than typical androgens during fetal development, which impacts their height and sexual orientation as adults. An alternative explanation involves stress, given that stress has been associated with sexual minority identification and with lower height. Another alternative explanation involves nutrition, although its relationship is less clear with sexual minority identification. Using the Add Health data, which is a large, nationally representative and longitudinal sample of American adolescents (n = 14,786), we tested a mediation model, such that sexual orientation → pubertal stress/nutrition → height. Within men, we found that gay men (n = 126) were shorter, on average, than heterosexual men (n = 6412). None of the 24 pubertal stress-related and 15 pubertal nutrition-related variables assessed in the Add Health data mediated the relationship between sexual orientation and height in men. Within women, lesbians (n = 75) did not differ significantly in stature compared to heterosexual women (n = 6267). Thus, prenatal mechanisms (e.g., hormones, maternal immune response) are likely better candidates for explaining the height difference between gay men and heterosexual men.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Pubertal Stress and Nutrition and their Association with Sexual Orientation and Height in the Add Health Data

Skorska

Bogaert²

2016

Arch Sex Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Also, in order to decrease SROs among youths there is a need to improve the negative impression and attitude that society displays towards homosexuals, and a need to establish anti-bullying policies towards LGB youths [28, 34]. On the same note, family-based interventions can decrease hopelessness and depression, thereby leading to less suicide attempts [35]. Countries are obligated to establish policies that reinforce the family’s role to ensure parental love and support towards children and youths [2].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Type of sexual intercourse experience and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among youths: a cross-sectional study in South Korea

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundDespite abundant theoretical evidence of higher rates of suicide among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youths, little is known about the relationship between suicide and types of sexual intercourse experience in youths. This study examines the association between the type of intercourse experience and suicide risk outcomes (SROs: suicidal ideation, plans for suicide, suicidal attempts) from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data from 146,621 students aged 12–17 years for the years 2012 and 2013. We defined lesbian, gay, or bisexual youth as youths who engaged in a type of sexual intercourse (same-sex or both-sex intercourse). A chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the association between intercourse experience and SROs.ResultsThe results showed that the prevalence of suicidal ideation was higher among youths with same-sex intercourse experience (45.9% for females, 33.7% for males) than among youths with opposite-sex intercourse experience (42.2% for females, 23.8% for males) and those with no experience in intercourse (21.0% for females, 12.7% for males). After adjusting for revealed risk factors that were associated with suicide risks, among males, suicide risks based on intercourse experience seemed to increase in the following order: no experience in sexual intercourse, opposite-sex, same-sex, and then both-sexes sexual intercourse experience. Same- and both-sexes intercourse related SROs are strongly linked to violence (being physically assaulted, threatened, or bullied) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV infection. Those having no sexual intercourse experience showed the least probability of suicide risks among youths.ConclusionThe SROs of youths with same-sex or both-sex intercourse experience had strong associations with gender (males), violence, and STDs. Therefore, school educators must continue to advocate for and to implement LGB inclusive policies and programs in order to promote safe and supportive learning environments where all students are protected from health risk behaviors.

show abstract

“…S everal reviews and meta-analyses have summarized the growing body of evidence pointing to higher risk of suicidality among sexual minorities generally and gay men in particular (King et al, 2008;Plöderl et al, 2006Plöderl et al, , 2013. In accordance with the international literature, Swiss findings have shown that a majority of gay/bisexual men reported one or more of the main forms of suicidality-i.e., suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts-in their lifetime, with every sixth man reporting an attempt to end his life (Wang et al, 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Understanding Suicide Attempts Among Gay Men From Their Self-perceived Causes

Wang¹,

Plöderl²,

Häusermann³

et al. 2015

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gay men are at higher risk of suicidality. This paper describes the causes of suicide attempts as perceived by the men themselves and analyzes their impact on severity and recidivism. Mental health surveys conducted among gay men in Geneva, Switzerland, from two probability-based time-space samples in 2007 and 2011, were merged to yield a combined sample N = 762. Suicide ideation, plans, and attempts were assessed, and respondents who had ever attempted suicide answered open questions about perceived causes which were coded and categorized for analysis within the framework of cultural epidemiology. In all, 16.7% of the respondents reported a suicide attempt in their lifetime (59.5% of them with multiple attempts). At their latest attempt, over two thirds asserted intent to die, and half required medical assistance. There was a wide variety of perceived causes, with most individuals reporting multiple causes and many of the most common causes cited at both the first and most recent subsequent attempts. Social/inter-personal problems constitute the most prominent category. Problems with love/relationship and accepting one's homosexuality figure consistently among the top three causes. Whereas the former tend to be associated with weaker intent to die, the latter are associated with the strongest intent to die and reported at multiple attempts. Problems with family are among the most common perceived causes at first attempt but not at the most recent subsequent attempt. Nevertheless, they tend to be related to the strongest intent to die and the greatest medical severity of all the perceived causes. Ten percent of men attempting suicide cited depression as a cause. Although it tended to be associated with weaker intent to die, depression was most likely to be reported at multiple attempts. Respondent-driven assessment yielded both common and idiosyncratic causes of suicide and their distinct effects. Some of these perceived causes are not prominent in the current literature, yet they have important implications for understanding risk and preventing suicide among gay men.

show abstract

Suicide Risk and Sexual Orientation: A Critical Review

Cited by 131 publications

References 77 publications

Pubertal Stress and Nutrition and their Association with Sexual Orientation and Height in the Add Health Data

Pubertal Stress and Nutrition and their Association with Sexual Orientation and Height in the Add Health Data

Type of sexual intercourse experience and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among youths: a cross-sectional study in South Korea

Understanding Suicide Attempts Among Gay Men From Their Self-perceived Causes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About