Justice involvement and mental health in LGBTQ young people

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people experience higher rates of justice involvement (e.g., arrests, detainment) and poor mental health compared to their peers. This study examined the relationship between justice involvement and mental health among 33,993 LGBTQ young people (ages 13–24) from the United States. Being from particular regions, experiencing housing instability, and holding specific racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender identities were related to higher rates of justice involvement. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that past arrests and detainment were each associated with greater odds of attempting suicide in the past year, as well as depression and anxiety symptoms, self-harm, and considering suicide. LGBTQ young people who had been arrested (aOR = 6.54, 95% CI = 5.17, 8.26) or detained (aOR = 6.33, 95% CI = 4.19, 9.57) in the past year had more than six times greater odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to peers who had never been arrested or detained. Better understanding the association between justice involvement and mental health among LGBTQ young people can provide important insights on how to reduce mental health risks and suicide in a particularly vulnerable community.