Citation

Busby DR, Horwitz AG, Zheng K, Eisenberg D, Harper GW, Albucher RC, Roberts LW, Coryell W, Pistorello J, King CA. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2019; 121: 182-188.

Affiliation

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: kingca@med.umich.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.11.013

PMID

31837538

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how victimization and discrimination relate to suicide risk among sexual and gender minority (SGM) college students, or what is protective for these students. The current study will: 1.) determine the extent to which interpersonal victimization, discrimination, identity affirmation, and social connectedness are associated with suicide risk characteristics, and if race and/or ethnicity moderates this association; 2.) examine whether identity affirmation and social connectedness are protective against associations between victimization or discrimination and suicide risk characteristics.

METHOD: Participants were 868 students (63.6% female) from four United States universities who completed an online screening survey and met the following study inclusion criteria: self-identification as gender and/or sexual minority, endorsement of at least one suicide risk characteristic and no current use of mental health services. Participants also completed measures that assessed demographics, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), victimization, discrimination, connectedness, and LGBTQ identity affirmation.

RESULTS: Victimization was positively associated with depression severity, suicidal ideation, alcohol misuse, suicide attempt history, and NSSI. Discrimination was positively associated with depression severity, suicide attempt history, and NSSI. Connectedness was inversely associated with depression severity, suicidal ideation severity, suicide attempt history, and NSSI, and moderated the association between victimization and suicide attempt history. LGBTQ identity affirmation moderated the link between victimization and depression.

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest efforts to decrease victimization and discrimination and increase connectedness may decrease depressive morbidity and risks for self-harm among SGM college students. Further, increasing LGBTQ identity affirmation may buffer the impact of victimization on depression.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

College students; Discrimination; Sexual and gender minority; Suicide risk; Victimization