Even though suicidal behavior among The United States LGBTQ+ kids is declining, the problems are still pervasive.
Two studies were conducted that tracked the trends amongst US teenagers over the years. According to the studies, there have been more and more kids that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The likely hood of these LGBTQ+ kids who report suicidal thoughts hand behavior has gone down.
That is just good news. The bad news is that these LGBTQ+ kids are at a higher risk of suicide than heterosexual peers.
What does the research say about LGBTQ+ kids?
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There was one study that said LGBT+ teenagers are over three times more likely to report a suicide attempt than heterosexual kids. The other study has a similar pattern. The LGBTQ+ kids reported a high prevalence of suicidal thoughts in 2017. Out of which quarter said they had attempted suicide in the past year.
Even so, the studies could not dig up the reasons for these thoughts and attempts.
But there was still some research that suggested that bullying plays a major role. According to Brian Mustanski, director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University in Chicago bullying is a major cause for these attempts.
It is well known and seen that LGBTQ+ kids are more likely to be bullied than their straight peers. It is usually these heterosexuals kids that take to bullying LGBTQ+ kids. But there has been a slight change in the issue. That is because some schools have strong anti-bullying policies. Mustanski says that studies show that the rate of reports is considerably less.
Hence, efforts to combat bullying in schools could be part of the solution.
Mustanski says, “I don’t think that would be enough to eliminate the disparities in suicidal ideation and behavior.” He adds that school suicidal-prevention programs may also address other issued that LGBTQ+ kids face.
Let’s look at some statistics
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For one of the studies, researchers looked at data of high school students across seven states. These students were part of a periodic government health survey. According to the survey between 2009 and 2017, the percentage of kids who identified as LGBT doubled from 7% to 14%
For one of the new studies, researchers looked at data on high school students in seven states who were part of a periodic government health survey. Between 2009 and 2017, the percentage who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or unsure doubled, from just over 7% to over 14%.The suicide attempts among these kids declined over time. The percentage of suicide attempts dropped from 27% in 2009 to 20% in 2017.
The study has also noted that the percentage is more than triple the risk among heterosexual students.
An assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health, Julia Raifman led the study.She found something important. She found that there were a number of teens that had now identified as being LGBTQ. Which means kids are becoming more comfortable with their sexuality.
Despite all this, LGBTQ+ kids are still more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide compared to their peers.
A survey in Massachusetts tracked teens for two decades. In 2017, 36% of LGBTQ+ teens said they thought about suicide. While it has come down since 1990, it is still more than the rate among heterosexual students.
There has to be a way to overcome this
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Stigma from families, peers, society fuel suicidal behavior among LGBTQ+ kids.
But there are a few factors that buffer them. This included having a supportive family.
Families are critical when it comes to overcoming stigma. Raifman pointed to a study that says that LGBTQ+ are more likely to attempt suicide if their families ahs rejected them when they came out in their teens.
Mustanski said, “Parents’ support is so important. Imagine you’re a teenager who is worried about coming out and maybe also dealing with suicidal thoughts. Kids need to know that you’re there for them, and open to having discussions about these things.”Most parents feel that their LGBTQ+ kids are suffering from mental health issues. Which is not true at all. It is important that parents and others are aware of suicidal risks. But Mustanski said that they should not assume that their teen kid is going through mental health issues.
He added, “This doesn’t mean all sexual-minority youth are at increased risk. In fact, most of them do well and thrive.”
