LGBTQ youth at risk for suicide after trauma, Trevor Project says

Lil Nas X Trevor Project

Lil Nas X was awarded the inaugural Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award in September from the advocacy group The Trevor Project. Photo: The Trevor Project.

One may think of trauma as something related to a physical attack or a car accident. But discrimination can be traumatic too. LGBTQ+ youth experience higher levels of trauma than their straight and cisgender peers — and that’s associated with a heightened risk of suicide attempts, notes a new study from the Trevor Project.

The study, “Trauma and Suicide Risk Among LGBTQ Youth,” used data from the Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, collected in an online survey conducted between September and December of last year of 33,993 LGBTQ+ youth recruited via targeted ads on social media.

“Individual trauma happens when a physically or emotionally harmful or threatening event, or series of events, is experienced by a person and has lasting effects on their well-being,” according to the study.

“Therefore, experiences of discrimination or physical threat or harm based on one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity may be experienced as individual trauma. Trauma-related symptoms, such as hypervigilance and avoidance, may even be related to perceived covert discrimination and microaggressions.”

“Research has consistently found that LGBTQ youth report increased experiences of trauma-related events compared to their straight, cisgender youth, often because they experience discrimination and victimization based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity that their peers do not. … Despite this, the relationship between trauma and suicide among LGBTQ youth has been understudied,” according to the document.

Among the study’s key findings.

  • LGBTQ+ youth who reported high levels of trauma symptoms had more than three times greater odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those with no, low, or moderate trauma symptoms.
  • 1 in 4 respondents with high symptoms of trauma reported a suicide attempt in the past.
  • 37% of LGBTQ+ people ages 13-24 reported high levels of trauma symptoms
  • 4% reported never experiencing trauma symptoms

LGBTQ+ youth of color were more likely to report high levels of trauma symptoms compared to white LGBTQ+ youth.

  • 52% Native/Indigenous LGBTQ youth
  • 44% Middle Eastern/Northern African LGBTQ youth

Also, 44% transgender and nonbinary youth reported high levels of trauma symptoms compared to 25% cisgender LGBQ.

“Experiences of discrimination, harassment, and violence against LGBTQ youth can contribute to trauma symptoms, which can include feeling scared, anxious, or unsafe in the world, often,” Myeshia Price, senior research scientist at the Trevor Project, said in a press release.

“These new data demonstrate that LGBTQ youth who reported high levels of trauma symptoms had more than three times greater odds of attempting suicide in the past year,” Price said.

“We must consider the harm that discriminatory policies — and the ugly rhetoric surrounding them — can have when it comes to the potential for traumatizing LGBTQ youth. We urge lawmakers to implement policies that protect LGBTQ youth from anti-LGBTQ and racist discrimination, as our findings indicate doing so may support effective interventions for reducing trauma symptoms and suicide risk among LGBTQ youth.”

If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned that someone you know may be, resources are available to help. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations.

 The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386.

Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 is for people of all ages and identities.

This article originally appeared on Advocate.com, and is shared here as part of an LGBTQ+ community exchange between Q Voice News and Equal Pride.

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Trudy Ring

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