Recent Suicide Attempts Across Multiple Social Identities Among Gay and Bisexual Men: An Intersectionality Analysis

ABSTRACT

This study draws from intersectionality to describe variations in recent suicide attempts (RSA) among gay and bisexual men (GBM) across sociodemographics. Using survey data, logistic regression modeling explored RSA in two analytical stages: (1) the individual effects of each sociodemographic were measured; (2) two-way interaction terms between sociodemographics were tested and added to the models created in stage A. In stage A, only education and income achieved significance. In stage B, the study found that (a) education and income interacted significantly such that the odds of RSA increased for those with a lower income and a lower education; (b) sexual orientation and partnership status interacted, resulting in decreased odds among bisexual men in heterosexual partnerships; and (c) income and education interacted with geography; the effects of these variables were significant only among urban men. These findings suggest that GBM are at unequal risk of RSA according to intersecting sociodemographics.

KEYWORDS:

• Suicide
• suicide attempts
• risk factors
• intersectionality
• gay
• bisexuality
• homosexuality

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the young Investigaytors who helped recruit for this study and Madeline Hannan-Leith for her assistance with the formatting of the manuscript.

Funding

This study was made possible through a grant from the Vancouver Foundation.

Additional information

Funding

This study was made possible through a grant from the Vancouver Foundation.