title: Understanding suicide among sexual minority youth in America: an ecological systems analysis.
abstract: This article examines major risk factors for suicide among sexual minority youth using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Although suicidal behavior among sexual minority youth is a major public concern in the United States, understanding of this phenomenon has been limited since the majority of empirical research studies have addressed individual level characteristics without much consideration to the larger environmental contexts. This review integrates past and current empirical findings on suicidal behaviors of sexual minority youth within the context of micro-, meso-, exo-, macro-, and chrono-systems levels. Finally, it draws implications for assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Children and Family Research Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. jhong23@illinois.edu
authors.forename: Jun Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Dorothy L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Espelage
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kral
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult