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G(L)B Youth Lifetime "Suicide Attempt" DATA - 12 Published Studies (American, or Specified).
G(L)B Youth Lifetime "Suicide Attempt" DATA - Unpublished Studies (American, or Specified) & Published Suicide Attempt Data (No Analysis): 8 studies + one Internet Survey.
Gay/Bisexual Male Youth Lifetime "Suicide Attempt" DATA Studies With "Heterosexual" Male Control Samples - 6 Studies. Two major studies published in October 1999, and one in April 2000.
American Youth Risk Behavior Studies: 1987 (Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey), 1993, 1995, 1997 - 6 Studies.
Research Based Indications of "at risk" Status of Homosexually Oriented Males.
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STUDY | (N)1 MALES | MEAN AGE | % SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS |
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GB Males |
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GB Males |
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GB Males |
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GB Males |
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Visiting Hetrick & Martin Institute (N.Y.) |
GB Males |
+/- 17 |
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GB Males |
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GB Males |
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GLB Youth |
+/- 18 |
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GB Males |
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Australia |
GB Males |
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GLB Youth |
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(12 Studies) |
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* Study samples included lesbian or bisexual females.
1. An assortment
of community-based volunteer samples, sometimes including individuals referred
for the study by counselors. The sometimes high percentage of subjects
in 'counselling" situation has produced related criticism, the implication
being of "bias" - but this may not be the case. Community-based samples
of gay and bisexual males used in HIV-AIDS research (cohort samples) have
revealed a high prevalence of "psychiatric histories" (up to about 60%)
for these males. See Colorado
Paper (1997).
2. Samples of gay/bisexual
males who were a part of larger sample including lesbians and bisexual
females. Suicide attempt prevalence was given for whole group with the
authors specifying a statistical non-difference for both genders.
3. Samples of gay/bisexual
males who were a part of larger sample including lesbians and bisexual
females. Suicide attempt prevalence was given for the males.
4. Samples of gay/bisexual/lesbian
individuals with suicide attempt prevalence given for entire group.
5. The significance of 30.5%
(or 28.4%) of gay/bisexual male youth having attempted suicide is realized
from the following summary of suicide attempt prevalence in the general
male youth population:
The prevalence of suicide attempts among gay and bisexual male youths is high (39%), especially as compared to reports of presumably heterosexual [male & female] youths in high schools (11% to 16%) (Adcock, Nagy, & Simpson, 1991; Garrison,1989) and community samples (9% to 12%) (Guyer, Lescohier, Gallagher, Hausman, & Azzara, 1989; Joffe, Offord, & Boyle, 1988). (Rotheram-Borus et al. 1994)By 1993-94, it was possible to average the results of "suicide attempt" studies to produce a "lifetime suicide attempt" incidence of about 30% for gay and bisexual male youth as done by Tremblay 1994, Tremblay 1995, and Bagley and Tremblay (1997). By 1998, however, about 11 years after the 1987 Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey had been done, Saewyc EM, et al (1998) reported that, in the survey, "nearly 1 of 3 older boys and girls [in the 15 to 18-year -old range] reported at least one suicide attempt," thus replicating the "30%" average for studies based on volunteer community-based samples of gay and bisexual male youth, or samples also consisting of lesbian and bisexual female youth.
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STUDY | (N) MALES | MEAN AGE | % SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS |
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Youth Visiting Hetrick & Martin Institute (N.Y.) |
GLB Youth approx. |
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Master's Thesis - Canada |
GB Males |
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Youth Members of Horizon Youth Group - Chicago |
GB Youth |
+/- 17.0 |
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GB Youth |
19.9 |
70/237 |
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Master's Study |
GLB Youth |
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Master's Study |
GLB School Students |
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PhD Study |
GLB Youth |
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(8 Studies) |
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by Outproud & Oasis Magazine |
GLB Youth 78% Males |
18.0 |
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attempters 62% |
7. 78% of first suicide attempts occurred between from the age 12 to 16 years.
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"Homo/Bi" |
"Hetero" |
More At Risk |
U.S.A. (White Males to age 17) Mean Age = 36 years |
n = 575 GB males |
n = 282 Heterosexual Males |
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U.S.A. (White Males to age 21) Mean Age = 36 years |
n = 575 GB males |
n = 282 Heterosexual Males |
(95% CI: OR = 3.6<14.9<61.6 (Estimated) |
U.S.A. (White Males to age 25) Mean Age = 36 years |
n = 575 GB males |
n = 282 Heterosexual Males |
(95% CI: OR = 3.0<6.7<14.6 (Estimated) |
(Bell & Weinberg, 1978 Sample) U.S.A. White & Black Males - lifetime - Mean Age = 36 years |
n = 683 GB males |
n = 337 Heterosexual Males |
(95% CI: OR = 3.8<7.4<14.3 (Estimated) |
Canada (Suicide Attempt) GB Males = 62.5% of attempters. Age Range = 18 - 27 (Mean 22.7) |
n = 82 10.9% of Sample Homo/Bi Males |
n = 668 89.1% of Sample Hetero. Males |
(95% CI: OR = 3.4<14.4<61.4) (Estimated) |
Canada (Self-Harm, includes attempters) GB Males = 26.0% of males in "self-harm" category. Age Range = 18 - 27 (Mean 22.7) |
n = 82 10.9% of Sample Homo/Bi Males |
n = 668 89.1% of Sample Hetero. Males |
(95% CI: OR = 1.6<3.2< 6.3) Estimated |
Australia - Thesis Study Age Range = 18 - 25 |
n = 53 GB Males |
n = 53 Hetero. Males |
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Age Range = 15 - 27 (Mean 20.4) |
n = 137 GB Males |
n = 71 Hetero. Males |
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USA - Vietnam Era Twin Registry: 103 twin pairs, one twin homo-active; 16 twin pairs, two twins homo-active. |
18.8% |
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(95% CI: OR = 2.4<5.1<10.9) |
New Zealand - Birth Cohort Study - Age = 21 Years - Results |
(Approx) |
(Approx) |
(95% CI: OR = 2.7<6.2<14.3) |
USA - NHANES - Male Sample, n = 3648, Age Range = 17-39 |
Males with male sex partner(s) in lifetime |
Males with only female lifetime sex partner(s) |
(95% CI: OR = 2.2<5.4<13.0 |
For Males aged 17 to 29 (Estimated) |
Males with male sex partner(s) in lifetime (Estimated) |
Males with only female lifetime sex partner(s) (Estimated) |
(95% CI: OR = 6.4<12.5<24.2 (Estimated) Note |
For Males aged 17 to 29 (Estimated) |
Males with male sex partner(s) in lifetime (Estimated) |
Males with only female lifetime sex partner(s) or no sex partner (Estimated) |
(95% CI: OR = 7.1<13.8<26.8 (Estimated) Note |
Note: This Odds Ratio "7.1<13.8<26.8"is almost identical to the one produced in the Bagley & Tremblay (1997) Calgary study of young adult males (age range = 18-27): 95% CI, OR: 3.4<14.4<61.4. This is to the average of about 23 years for the two samples. The 95% CI, OR: 3.6<14.9<61.6 to the age of 21 for males compared in the Bell & Weinberg (1978) study is also similar.
Statistical Estimates: Often enough published studies contain sufficient data permitting a further statistical analysis of the data, such as determining Odds Ratios for the reported results, or for a subset of the sample for which results were reported. These results, however, are "estimates," or a close approximation of what the values would be had they been generated from the actual data sets. For additional information related to these calculation, follow the hyperlink for the given study.
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& Links To Site Information |
% reporting 'homo' |
% reporting 'hetero' |
More At Risk |
Remafedi et al. (1998) Saewyc et al. (1998) |
28.1% |
4.2% |
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Faulkner & Cranston (1998) Attempting Suicide |
sex active Male/Female 27.5% |
Active Only Male & Female 13.4% |
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Mass Educ.Web Site GLBS = 4.4% of Students |
Sex Active 36.5% |
8.9% |
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Garofalo et al. (1998) GLB = 2.5% of Students |
35.5% |
9.1% |
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Garofalo et al. (1999) |
Male/Female: 31% |
and Females 9.1% |
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Males: 33% |
5.1% |
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Male / Female 22.76% |
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2.13% - 55% in GLBN Category |
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"Attempted Suicide" |
37% |
"Their Peers" 8% |
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Suicide Attempt - With Related Medical Attention |
19% |
"Their peers" 3% |
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Durant et al. (1998) Homo-Sex Active Males = 8.7% of males |
Males |
Males |
sex partners |
(No Publications) -See: Seattle Page . GLB = 4.4% of Students. |
Adolescents 20.6% |
Adolescents 6.7% |
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8. Study done
using the Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey Questionnaire amended to solicit
"sexual orientation" information.
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All
community based samples of homosexually oriented males - with control samples
of heterosexual males - report elevated rated of suicidality for homosexually
oriented males compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
The
school-based Youth Risk Behavior Studies all report elevated rates of suicidality
for homosexually oriented males during the year preceding the study.
The studies generally report that homosexually oriented males (defined
on the basis of either self-identification or homosexual activity) are
at greater risk for what appears to be the more serious suicide attempts:
the ones associated with having received medical care. This "higher
risk" status for the "more serious forms of self-harm" is replicated
in the Bagley & Tremblay (1996, 1997) study.
To
date, the Bagley & Tremblay (1997) study remains as the only study
to have used a household-based random sampling technique - stratified random
sampling - producing both a sample of homosexually oriented males and of
their heterosexual counterparts for comparison purposes. This study replicated
the Bell & Weinberg (1978) results and is also the best and most recent
indicator available of the "self-harm" at risk status of homosexually
oriented males. Compared to heterosexual males, homosexually oriented males
(12.7% of sample) accounted for 26% of males in the "self-harm" category
(including suicide attempts) and 62.5% of suicide attempters. They were
3-times more at risk for reporting "self-harm" and almost 14-times more
at risk for reporting having attempted suicide.
Given
that homosexually oriented male youth have been reported to be at greater
risk of the more serious forms of self harm - and that such results are
replicated - they are therefore likely to be even more at risk for completed
suicides. Given the Bagley & Tremblay (1997) results and erring on
the conservative side:
Homosexually oriented males may well account for more than half of the male youth deaths resulting from suicide.If correct, what therefore would be the implications with respect to the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs which have traditionally either ignored or purposefully omitted homosexuality issues? Could not such suicide prevention programs have been suicide-inducing programs for homosexually oriented male youth? Tremblay (1994) offers an explanation for such predictable(?) suicidality-producing results in suicide education/prevention programs.
Some of the data to yet to
be organized:
Sexual Orientation in Adolescents
Who Commit Suicide. Shaffer, David; And Others. Suicide and Life-Threatening
Behavior, v25 suppl p64-71 1995
Note: Supplement: "Research Issues
in Suicide and Sexual Orientation."
Abstract.
Research
Highlights and Commentary (Alternate Link):
San Diego Suicide Study: The Adolescents.
Rich, Charles L. et al. , Adolescence, v25 n100 p855-65 Win 1990
Abstract.
San Diego Suicide Study: Comparison
of Gay to Straight Males.
Rich, Charles L. et al. Suicide
and Life-Threatening Behavior; v16 n4 p448-57 Win 1986
Abstract.
Research Highlights:
In a series of 283 suicides, 13 male victims were deemed to be homosexual, ranging in age from 21- to 42-years of age. There were 106 male suicide victims in the same age range out of 202 male victims. In this age range, 10.9% of the victims were homosexual; the implications are that gay males are not over-represented in suicide if openly gay males account for about 10% of the male population.. This assumption, however, may not be the case given the highly to partly closeted nature of many gay and bisexual males. Remafedi (1994a) comments on this study in the Introduction to his book, Death by Denial: "Moreover, since suicide attempts in homosexual persons have been found to be associated with nondisclosure of orientation, it is reasonable to expect that the 10 percent figure is the lowest possible estimate of the actual proportion of gay suicides in the San Diego cohort. Unfortunately, the authors minimized their own findings by overestimating the prevalence of homosexuality in the general population and underestimating the likelihood of missed cases of gay and lesbian suicide" (p. 11).
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