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Abstract
Many sexual minority individuals attempt suicide each year, but little is known about the suicidality of individuals who are questioning their sexual orientation. This study assessed suicidal ideation and attempts of questioning individuals compared with lesbian/gay, bisexual, and heterosexual individuals. This cross-sectional study enrolled participants (N = 2,841) from a community health center. Questioning (OR = 4.286, 95% CI [2.119–8.671]), lesbian/gay (OR = 3.024, 95% CI [2.351–3.890]), and bisexual (OR = 4.389, 95% CI [2.942–6.575]) individuals had significantly greater odds of considering suicide compared to heterosexuals. However, questioning individuals had non-significant odds of attempting suicide compared to heterosexuals. We discuss possible explanations for these findings.
Acknowledgments
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The project described was supported by the Summer Institute in LGBT Population Health, supported by NICHD (R25 HD064426), the Center for Population Research in LGBT Health at The Fenway Institute, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under Award Number R21HD051178. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD or the National Institutes of Health. We would like to thank Sari Reisner for his statistical consultation, and Dr. Aimee Van Wagenen who provided invaluable administrative support to this research.