Increased Risk of Suicide Attempts Among Black and Latino Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 101; no. 6; pp. 1055 - 1059
• Main Authors: O'DONNELL, Shannon, MEYER, Ilan H, SCHWARTZ, Sharon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Public Health Association 01-06-2011
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; African Americans; Age; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Bisexuality - ethnology; Bisexuality - psychology; Black or African American; Black People - psychology; Black People - statistics & numerical data; Depressive Disorder, Major - ethnology; Drug abuse; Drug use; Ethnicity; Female; Gays & lesbians; General aspects; Health Status Disparities; Heterosexuality; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic or Latino - psychology; Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data; Hispanic people; Homosexuality, Female - ethnology; Homosexuality, Female - psychology; Homosexuality, Male - ethnology; Homosexuality, Male - psychology; Humans; Hypotheses; Male; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Mental health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Groups - psychology; Minority Groups - statistics & numerical data; Miscellaneous; New York City; Population; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; R&D; Race; Research & development; Research and Practice; Risk Factors; Standard deviation; Substance use disorder; Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted - ethnology; Suicide, Attempted - statistics & numerical data; Suicides & suicide attempts; White people; White People - psychology; White People - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; New York City; Homosexuality; Risk factor; Male; Risk; Bisexuality; Latinamerican; Ethnic group; Public health; Suicide attempt
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.300032

Members of racial/ethnic minority groups have a lower lifetime prevalence than have Whites of mental disorders, a risk factor for suicide attempts; paradoxically, however, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) ethnic minority youths may be at increased risk for suicide attempts relative to White LGB youths. We found that the increased risk of suicide attempts among racial/ethnic minority LGB respondents in our sample relative to White respondents was not explained by excess youth onset of depression and substance abuse or by a higher susceptibility to suicide in the racial/ethnic minority LGB group.