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Associations Between LGBTQ+-Supportive School and Community Resources and Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents in Massachusetts.
- Source :
-
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry . 2021, Vol. 91 Issue 6, p800-811. 12p. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Supportive school and community resources are associated with reduced risk of suicidality among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) adolescents as well as their cisgender, heterosexual peers. This study examined whether adolescents attending schools and living in communities with more versus fewer LGBTQ+-supportive resources were at lower risk of a past-year suicide attempt. Data on sexual orientation and past-year suicide attempt were obtained from student surveys administered in 30 Massachusetts public high schools between 2014 and 2017 (N = 20,790). Data on school resources were obtained from a questionnaire administered to school officials, and community resources were assessed through internet searching. Modified Poisson generalized estimating equations tested associations between school and community LGBTQ+-supports and suicide attempt separately by sex/gender, adjusting for student, school, and community covariates. Several school resources and the availability of community-wide LGBTQ+-supportive resources were associated with lower risk of a suicide attempt among several subgroups of students, even after controlling for the presence of multiple school and community resources and covariates. For example, the risk of a suicide attempt among gay, bisexual and questioning boys in schools with a gender-neutral restroom was approximately half compared to gay, bisexual and questioning boys in schools without this resource. Past year suicide attempts were also significantly lower among questioning, RR = 0.56, CI [0.37–0.86], and heterosexual, RR = 0.59, CI [0.50–0.68], girls living in communities with more supportive resources compared to those in communities with fewer resources. LGBTQ+-supportive resources in schools and communities may be beneficial for all adolescents regardless of sexual orientation. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Suicide is a significant public health issue for adolescents, especially for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) adolescents, yet few studies have examined associations between LGBTQ+-supportive resources in both schools and communities and risk for a past-year suicide attempt. This study highlights that the presence of LGBTQ+-supportive resources in schools and communities may be beneficial for adolescents of all sexual orientations as a strategy for suicide prevention. Policies that develop and expand such supportive resources are recommended to advance the well-being of LGBQ young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00029432
- Volume :
- 91
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 161849836
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000574