Four out of 10 Young LGBTQ+ People Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide in Past Year, Survey Reveals
May 22, 2023Young LGBTQ+ people continue to report significantly high rates of mental health challenges and suicide risk, according to a new survey to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month.
Approximately 41% of respondents seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including half of transgender and non-binary young people and nearly 3 in 10 cisgender young people (29%), revealed the new study from The Trevor Project. The study also found that experiences of anti-LGBTQ+ stigma and victimization are associated with these disparities.
A large majority of young LGBTQ+ people also reported recent symptoms of anxiety (67%) and depression (54%), yet 56% of young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. The top four barriers to care reported by young people were the same as last year: fear about discussing mental health, concerns with parental permission, fear of not being taken seriously, and lack of affordability.
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“The Trevor Project's fifth annual national U.S. survey adds to a growing body of literature detailing the harmful mental health impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization on young people and the life-saving potential of support and acceptance," said Dr. Ronita Nath, Vice President of Research for The Trevor Project. "The CDC's latest data emphasized that queer students face disproportionate rates of poor mental health and suicide risk – and our research takes it a step further by illuminating disparities among LGBTQ+ young people across age, gender identity, race/ethnicity, region, and expansive sexual orientations. As the existence of LGBTQ+ young people continues to be unfairly put up for debate, it's critical to consistently underscore that these challenges are not inherent to LGBTQ+ identity, but rather stem from stigma, discrimination, and violence."
The survey consistently found that young LGBTQ+ people who experienced victimization on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity reported higher rates of attempting suicide. For example, 24% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that they were physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to either their sexual orientation or gender identity, and those who were reported triple the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who were not.
Furthermore, 60% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that they felt discriminated against in the past year and 15% reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy. In both cases, LGBTQ+ young people who experienced this type of victimization attempted suicide at more than double the rate of those who have not.
However, this research once again emphasizes the importance of safe spaces and social support in suicide prevention. Young LGBTQ+ people who had access to affirming homes, schools, community events, and online spaces reported lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not. And transgender and non-binary young people reported lower rates of attempting suicide when all of the people they live with respected their pronouns and/or they had access to a gender-neutral bathroom at school. Tragically, just 52% of transgender and nonbinary young people reported having access to a gender-affirming school and only 35% had an affirming home.
"Among transgender and nonbinary young people, half seriously considered suicide, and one in five attempted suicide in the past year. This is a public health crisis – and it's preventable," highlighted Kasey Suffredini, Vice President of Advocacy & Government Affairs for The Trevor Project. "Our government must work from the top down to curb risk factors like violence and discrimination and increase access to essential health care, safe schools, and support systems. Yet, far too many lawmakers at the state level are working overtime to push a dangerous political agenda that will jeopardize young lives. We understand that some of these issues can seem complicated for people who've never met a transgender person, but the impact of victimization on our young people is clear and dire."
LGBTQ+ young people who held more marginalized identities reported greater suicide risk compared to their peers. Nearly 1 in 5 transgender and non-binary young people (18%) attempted suicide in the past year compared to nearly 1 in 10 cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning young people (8%). The rate of attempting suicide among LGBTQ+ young people of color who are Native/Indigenous (22%), Middle Eastern/Northern African (18%), multiracial (17%), Black (16%), and Latinx (15%), was higher than that of Asian American/Pacific Islander (10%) and white (11%) LGBTQ+ young people. Additionally, young people who identified as pansexual attempted suicide at a significantly higher rate (18%) than those who identified as lesbian (13%), gay (11%), and bisexual (12%). And across the four major regions of the country, LGBTQ+ young people from the South and Midwest predominantly reported higher rates of suicide risk and anti-LGBTQ victimization compared to those from the Northeast and West.
A record number of anti-LGBTQ+ policies have been introduced and implemented in the last year — and they're negatively impacting LGBTQ young people's mental health, noted the study. For example:
- Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ young people said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation.
- Nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ+ young people said that hearing about potential state or local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ+ people at school made their mental health a lot worse.
- Conversely, 79% of LGBTQ+ young people said hearing about potential state and local laws trying to ban conversion therapy made them feel a little or a lot better.
As many anti-LGBTQ+ bills seek to censor LGBTQ+ content in schools and restrict the ability of parents to support their transgender and nonbinary kids, these data underscore the importance of affirming homes and schools. The survey showed that:
- 38% of LGBTQ+ young people found their home to be LGBTQ+-affirming and 54% found their school to be affirming.
- Among transgender and non-binary young people, 35% found their home to be gender-affirming and a little more than half (52%) found their school to be affirming.
- Across the board, young people who had access to affirming homes and schools reported much lower rates of attempting suicide in the past year.
Alarmingly, many LGBTQ+ young people enrolled in school reported having a range of negative experiences, including being verbally harassed because people thought they were LGBTQ+ (53%); not being allowed to dress in the way that fits their gender identity or expression (32%); being disciplined for fighting back against bullies (25%); and experiencing unwanted sexual contact because people thought they were LGBTQ+ (20%). Additionally, only 37% of transgender and nonbinary young people reported having a gender-neutral bathroom at their school, and those who had access reported lower rates (15%) of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not (21%).
The survey also asked respondents to describe what a world would look like where all LGBTQ+ people are accepted. The most common responses included:
- People are able to express themselves and be who they want to be.
- People mind their business.
- People have better mental health.
- Gender-neutral bathrooms.
- No one would have to worry about coming out.
- No more anti-LGBTQ laws.
In terms of emotions, most LGBTQ+ young people said that the world would feel better, happy, peaceful, beautiful, safe, and comfortable.
Click here to access the full report 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People. If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project's trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.
Read related myGwork articles here:
- Half of Multiracial LGBTQ+ Youth Seriously Considered Suicide Last Year, Reveals Study
- More Than 50% of Trans And Non-binary Youth In U.S. Considered Suicide Last Year, Confirms Study
- Nearly Half Of Young LGBTQ+ Americans Seriously Considered Suicide Last Year, Alarming New Study Finds
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