Table. Suicide Risk Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Adolescents in the United States, 2015a.
| Unweighted No. of Participantsc | Weighted Prevalence, % (95% CI)d | Adjusted Risk Ratio (95% CI)e | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seriously Considered Suicideb | |||
| All | |||
| Heterosexualsf | 12770 | 14.8 (13.7-15.9) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 1695 | 39.7 (36.4-42.9) | 2.45 (2.12-2.81) |
| Homosexual | 309 | 32.8 (22.4-43.1) | 2.37 (1.54-3.34) |
| Bisexual | 901 | 46.0 (41.5-50.4) | 2.73 (2.32-3.18) |
| Questioning | 485 | 31.9 (27.1-36.7) | 1.97 (1.47-2.54) |
| Females | |||
| Heterosexuals | 6051 | 19.6 (17.7-21.6) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 1180 | 43.2 (38.9-47.6) | 2.07 (1.76-2.41) |
| Homosexual | 163 | 40.2 (28.1-52.2) | 2.16 (1.49-2.92) |
| Bisexual | 726 | 47.9 (42.9-52.9) | 2.27 (1.91-2.67) |
| Questioning | 291 | 32.6 (24.6-40.7) | 1.47 (0.96-2.08) |
| Males | |||
| Heterosexuals | 6719 | 10.6 (9.6-11.7) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 515 | 32.0 (26.0-38.0) | 3.40 (2.63-4.28) |
| Homosexual | 146 | 25.5 (14.8-36.1) | 2.60 (1.20-4.54) |
| Bisexual | 175 | 38.5 (25.9-51.1) | 4.44 (2.88-6.15) |
| Questioning | 194 | 30.9 (23.5-38.3) | 3.19 (2.18-4.36) |
| Planned Suicideg | |||
| All | |||
| Heterosexuals | 12559 | 11.9 (10.7-13.0) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 1666 | 34.9 (31.1-38.6) | 2.59 (2.18-3.04) |
| Homosexual | 303 | 29.0 (21.8-36.1) | 2.43 (1.67-3.35) |
| Bisexual | 891 | 40.8 (35.8-45.8) | 2.85 (2.34-3.42) |
| Questioning | 472 | 26.9 (22.3-31.5) | 2.20 (1.73-2.74) |
| Females | |||
| Heterosexuals | 5960 | 15.7 (13.8-17.6) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 1166 | 39.0 (34.2-43.9) | 2.27 (1.87-2.72) |
| Homosexual | 160 | 36.3 (23.9-48.8) | 2.21 (1.40-3.15) |
| Bisexual | 721 | 43.2 (37.7-48.7) | 2.51 (2.02-3.05) |
| Questioning | 285 | 29.3 (22.9-35.7) | 1.67 (1.23-2.20) |
| Males | |||
| Heterosexuals | 6599 | 8.6 (7.4-9.8) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 500 | 25.7 (20.5-30.9) | 3.32 (2.38-4.46) |
| Homosexual | 143 | 21.5 (12.2-30.8) | 2.72 (1.50-4.35) |
| Bisexual | 170 | 31.4 (19.5-43.2) | 3.77 (2.06-5.95) |
| Questioning | 187 | 23.6 (14.9-32.3) | 3.49 (2.10-5.18) |
| Attempted Suicideh | |||
| All | |||
| Heterosexuals | 10363 | 6.3 (5.5-7.2) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 1373 | 24.9 (21.5-28.2) | 3.37 (2.73-4.09) |
| Homosexual | 236 | 20.4 (11.7-29.1) | 2.94 (1.70-4.63) |
| Bisexual | 762 | 31.9 (27.7-36.0) | 4.28 (3.34-5.35) |
| Questioning | 375 | 13.5 (9.3-17.7) | 1.90 (1.22-2.85) |
| Females | |||
| Heterosexuals | 4973 | 8.4 (6.7-10.1) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 981 | 27.8 (23.4-32.3) | 3.01 (2.23-3.98) |
| Homosexual | 128 | 25.8 (12.5-39.1) | 2.64 (1.35-4.51) |
| Bisexual | 618 | 34.1 (29.2-39.1) | 3.76 (2.77-5.02) |
| Questioning | 235 | 11.7 (6.7-16.7) | 1.20 (0.63-2.04) |
| Males | |||
| Heterosexuals | 5390 | 4.5 (3.9-5.2) | 1 [Reference] |
| Sexual minorities | 392 | 18.2 (12.7-23.6) | 4.34 (2.72-6.51) |
| Homosexual | 108 | 14.7 (5.5-24.0) | 3.56 (1.47-6.86) |
| Bisexual | 144 | 22.8 (13.0-32.6) | 5.71 (2.47-10.61) |
| Questioning | 140 | 16.0 (8.9-23.1) | 4.08 (2.06-7.12) |
Data were drawn from the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Nonresponse to the suicide consideration question was 1.0%; to the planning question 2.6%; and to the attempt question 19.7%. Missingness was not related to the relationship between sexual orientation and suicide risk behavior. The missing at random assumption held under various model testing.
Seriously considered suicide was assessed by response to the question “During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide? (yes or no).”
Relevant sample size after listwise deletion.
Prevalence estimate for each outcome after weighting the data to be nationally representative of all adolescents.
Risk ratio simulated from separate logistic regressions for each outcome with confounders for sex, age, race/ethnicity, English language proficiency, and grades. For the race/ethnicity categorical variable, the survey gave participants a list of prespecified races/ethnicities and participants selected categories that applied to them, including the option to select multiple categories. Race/ethnicity was used as a control because different races/ethnicities may have different suicide risks.
Sexual orientation groups were assessed by response to the questions “What is your sex? (male or female)” and “Which of the following best describes you? (heterosexual [straight], gay or lesbian, bisexual, not sure).” Responses of “not sure” were defined as questioning.
Planned suicide was assessed by response to the question “During the past 12 months, did you make a plan about how you would attempt suicide?”
Attempted suicide was assessed by response to the question “During the past 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide” (responses of ≥1 times were coded as a suicide attempt).