Office of Student Life
Suicide Prevention

LGBTQIA+ STUDENTS

The LGBTQ+ community have a rich history of community connectedness, inclusivity, resilience, and resistance. Research shows that LGBTQ+ young people are at increased risk for suicide. However, it is important to recognize that LGBTQ+ individuals are not inherently prone to suicide risk solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Rather, it is due to societal forces such as stigma and mistreatment that may lead to adverse mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth. 

  • LGBTQ+ youth are up to 5-8 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation than their heterosexual and cisgender peers 
  • In a 2017 study, bisexual youth were 5 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation than their heterosexual peers 
  • According to a 2021 study, youth identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual were 5 times as likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers  

Factors that Increase Suicide Risk for LGBTQIA+ students: 

  • Verbal or physical harassment 
  • Lack of family support and acceptance 
  • Loss of friendship or other relationships 
  • Prejudice, discrimination, homophobia 
  • A recent loss (e.g., death or break-up) 
  • Fears about seeking help 
  • Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness 
  • Behaviors that are impulsive or aggressive 
  • Lack of access to affirming spaces 

Barriers to seeking help may include: 

  • Feeling misunderstood or unwelcome by mental health providers 
  • Minors may be unable to receive adequate mental health services if they have unsupportive caregivers 
  • Policy issues that restrict youth from receiving gender-affirming care 

Protective factors that can decrease risk: 

  • Social support and connection with family, community, and peers 
  • Feeling safe at school/environment through affirming spaces, activities, and respective pronouns 
  • Gender-affirming care 
  • Coming and living according to one’s sexual orientation 

Suicide prevention within LGBTQ+ student communities may include: 

  • Fostering community amongst LGBTQ+ youth and young adults 
  • Supports for LGBTQ+ persons during coming out process 
  • Intentionality around anti-suicide message, emphasizing that LGBTQ+ status is not a risk factor in and of itself, but rather the systemic and oppressive forces surrounding LGBTQ+ issues that can induce risk 
  • Advocating for more culturally responsive mental health services 
Resources
References

Facts about suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. The Trevor Project. (2024, November 11). https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/  

Jones, S. E., Ethier, K. A., Hertz, M., DeGue, S., Le, V. D., Thornton, J., Lim, C., Dittus, P. J., & Geda, S. (2022). Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January-June 2021. MMWR Supplements, 71(3), 16–21. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7103a3 

Fulginiti, A., Rhoades, H., Mamey, M. R., Klemmer, C., Srivastava, A., Weskamp, G., & Goldbach, J. T. (2020). Sexual Minority Stress, Mental Health Symptoms, and Suicidality among LGBTQ Youth Accessing Crisis Services. Journal of Youth and Adolescence: A Multidisciplinary Research Publication, 50(5), 893–905. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01354-3 

Marraccini, M. E., Ingram, K. M., Naser, S. C., Grapin, S. L., Toole, E. N., O’Neill, J. C., Chin, A. J., Martinez, R. R., & Griffin, D. (2022). The roles of school in supporting LGBTQ+ youth: A systematic review and ecological framework for understanding risk for suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. Journal of School Psychology, 91, 27–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2021.11.006 

Ream, G. L. (2019). What’s Unique About Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth and Young Adult Suicides? Findings From the National Violent Death Reporting System. The Journal of Adolescent Health : Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 64(5), 602–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.10.303 

Russon, J., Washington, R., Machado, A., Smithee, L., & Dellinger, J. (2022). Suicide among LGBTQIA+ youth: A review of the treatment literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2021.101578 

Small, L. A., Godoy, S. M., Lau, C., & Franke, T. (2024). Gender-Based Violence and Suicide Among Gender-Diverse Populations in the United States. Archives of Suicide Research : Official Journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research, 28(1), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2022.2136023 

Taliaferro, L. A., & Muehlenkamp, J. J. (2017). Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidality Among Sexual Minority Youth: Risk Factors and Protective Connectedness Factors. Academic Pediatrics, 17(7), 715–722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2016.11.002