The relationship between suicide risk and sexual orientation: Results of a population-based study

Objectives. This study examined the relationship between sexual orientation and suicide risk in a population-based sample of adolescents. Methods. Participants were selected from a cross-sectional, statewide survey of junior and senior public high school students. All males (n = 212) and females (n = 182) who described themselves as bisexual/homosexual were compared with 336 gender-matched heterosexual respondents on three outcome measures: suicidal ideation, intent, and self-reported attempts. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between sexual orientation and outcome measures with adjustment for demographic characteristics. Results. Suicide attempts were reported by 28.1% of bisexual/homosexual males, 20.5% of bisexual/homosexual females, 14.5% of heterosexual females, and 4.2% of heterosexual males. For males, but not females, bisexual/homosexual orientation was associated with suicidal intent (odds ratio [OR] = 3.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.40, 9.36) and attempts (OR 7.10; 95% CI = 3.05, 16.53). Conclusions. There is evidence of a strong association between suicide risk and bisexuality or homosexuality in males.