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Sexual orientation in adolescents who commit suicide

D Shaffer¹, P Fisher, R H Hicks

¹Division of Child Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY 10032, USA.

Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior

|January 1, 1995

Summary

This study found no evidence that suicide is common among gay youth. When suicide does occur in gay teenagers, it is not directly linked to stigmatization or lack of support.

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Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Adolescent Health
Sociology

Background:

Previous research suggested a link between suicidal behavior and homosexuality in adolescents.
This link was often attributed to stigmatization and isolation experienced by gay youth.
However, much of this research used nonrepresentative samples, questioning generalizability.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the relationship between suicidal behavior and homosexuality in an unselected adolescent sample.
To investigate if stigmatization directly precedes suicide in gay teenagers.
To assess the role of psychiatric disorders in adolescent suicides among gay youth.

Main Methods:

A case-control psychological autopsy study was conducted.
Included 120 adolescent suicides (under 20) and 147 matched community controls.

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Homosexuality was defined by homosexual experiences or declared orientation.

Main Results:

Only three adolescent suicides and no controls met the criteria for homosexuality.
The difference in prevalence was not statistically significant.
No suicides directly followed stigmatization; all three had pre-existing psychiatric disorders.

Conclusions:

The study found no evidence that suicide is a common characteristic of gay youth.
Suicide in gay teenagers is not demonstrated to be a direct consequence of stigmatization or lack of support.
Significant psychiatric disorder appears to be a more prominent factor in adolescent suicides.