Suicide ideation and bullying among US adolescents: Examining the intersections of sexual orientation, gender, and race/ethnicity

A.S. Mueller, W. James, S. Abrutyn and M.L. Levin

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, issue 5, 981-985

Abstract: Objectives: We examined how race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation shape adolescents' likelihood of being bullied and vulnerability to suicide ideation. Methods: We analyzed pooled data from the 2009 and 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (n=75344) to assess race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation variation in being bullied and suicide ideation. Results: White and Hispanic gay and bisexual males, White lesbian and bisexual females, and Hispanic bisexual females were more likely to be bullied than were White heterosexual adolescents. Black lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths' vulnerability to being bullied was not significantly different from that of White heterosexual youths. Black and Hispanic heterosexual youths were less likely to be bullied than were White heterosexual youths. Despite differences in the likelihood of being bullied, sexual minority youths were more likely to report suicide ideation, regardless of their race/ethnicity, their gender, or whether they have been bullied. Conclusions: Future research should examine how adolescents' intersecting identities shape their experience of victimization and suicidality. School personnel should develop antibullying and antihomophobia policies in response to the disproportionate risk of being bullied and reporting suicidality among sexual minority youths.

Keywords: adolescent; adolescent behavior; ancestry group; bullying; epidemiology; ethnic group; health survey; human; sex difference; sexual behavior; statistics and numerical data; suicidal ideation; suicide; United States, Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Bullying; Continental Population Groups; Ethnic Groups; Health Surveys; Humans; Sex Factors; Sexual Behavior; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2014.302391_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302391

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