Examining the intersection of race/ethnicity and sexual orientation on suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among adolescents: Findings from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Abstract

Although some studies have examined factors associated with suicidal behaviors, few studies have examined the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity on suicidal behaviors among adolescents. The objective of this study is to examine the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity on suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. We hypothesized that controlling for the effects of known risk factors for suicidal behaviors, there will be an interaction effect between sexual orientation and race/ethnicity on suicidal behaviors. Data for this study came from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. A sample of 13,697 adolescents aged 14–18 years (51.8% female) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Of the 13,697 adolescents, 17.7% reported suicidal ideation and 7.7% made at least one suicide attempt during the past 12 months. In the multivariate logistic regression models, non-White sexual minority adolescents are less likely to report suicidal ideation. However, Hispanic lesbian/gay adolescents had 1.71 times higher odds of making a suicide attempt. Odds of suicide attempt are 1.2 times higher for Black or African American bisexual adolescents and American Indian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander bisexual adolescents had 2.44 times higher odds of making a suicide attempt. Other significant predictors of suicidal behaviors include a history of sexual assault, a victim of bullying, depression, cigarette smoking, misuse of prescription pain medication, and illicit drug use. The findings of the present study extend past research on the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity on mental health problems among adolescents including suicidal behaviors.