Suicide attempts among sexual-minority youths: population and measurement issues.
Two questions were addressed regarding suicide attempts among sexual-minority youths: Who should be classified as a sexual minority, and what constitutes a suicide attempt? Results from 2 studies indicated that sexual-minority youths, broadly defined in terms of sexual orientation and recruitment venue, were slightly more likely than heterosexual youths to report a suicide attempt. To afford a more accurate assessment of suicide attempts, a detailed measure distinguished true from false attempts. This method eliminated over half of suicide attempt reports among sexual minorities because they were false attempts-ideation rather than a concrete act to end life. Furthermore, many true attempts were not life threatening, suggesting that the reports were attempts to communicate the hardships of lives or to identify with a gay community.
Savin-Williams
R C
RC
Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. rcs15@cornell.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires