LGBTQ+ youth more likely to have suicidal thoughts, study finds
Photo credit: Ludovic Bertron, CC BY 2.0/wikimedia commons.
This article was originally published by Capital News Service and is republished here under a syndication agreement.
by Justin Fox Clausen
Rates of suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ youth in Michigan are slightly higher than the national average, according to a new study from Western Michigan University.
On average, youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are 2.4 times more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience suicidal ideation – thoughts, planning or preoccupation with ending one’s own life – the study said.
“Among high school-aged American youth, suicide is the third-leading cause of death. The risk for suicide is even greater for sexual minority and transgender youth, with substantially higher prevalence rates of suicidal ideation,” the study said.
Whitney DeCamp, a professor of sociology at Western Michigan University, said that although the rate of suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ youth wasn’t significantly higher than the national average, the elevated amount does correlate with higher rates of bullying, sexual violence and harassment also observed in the report.
DeCamp, who is the author of the report, said that there aren’t many studies about LGBTQ+ youth that specifically examine Michigan. Because of that, many factors that contribute to elevated rates of bullying and harassment are also not fully understood.
The trend of suicidal ideation remained historically low from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s among LGBTQ+ youth. Since 2016, the trend has consistently risen.
DeCamp said that may have to do with issues like bullying becoming increasingly politicized.
“In the past, creating safe schools was something that had bipartisan support. Whether they put enough effort into it is another matter, but it wasn’t something that was considered partisan.” DeCamp said.
He said that the politicization of bullying includes legislation, as well as the perspective that kids should instead learn to “toughen up.”
The study, published in the Michigan Sociological Review, also noted that Michigan’s rate of suicidal ideation for transgender youth was significantly above the national average between 2019-2023: 48% of trans youth nationally and 58% of trans youth in the state.
The study uses data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DeCamp said that the low investment in school mental health resources is a contributing factor to bullying of all kinds, not just against LGBTQ+ students.
He also said that students who do not feel safe and supported in school are more likely to become bullies themselves, as well as to become perpetrators of violence later in life.
According to research from the Trevor Project, a national nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention, states that pass anti-transgender legislation report higher suicide attempts among trans youth.
Such legislation has been introduced in Michigan, but none has been signed into law.
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