The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #56645

Margaret Rosario, PhD, Psychology, City University of New York, NAC Building 7-120, Convent Avenue and 138th Street, New York, NY 10031, 212-650-5420, mr37@earthlink.net, Eric W. Schrimshaw, MA, Psychology, Social/Personality, City University of New York, Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, and Joyce Hunter, DSW, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies/NYSPI, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 29, New York, NY 10032.

Epidemiologic research has found that gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) adolescents are 2-7 times more likely to attempt suicide than are heterosexual adolescents. Considerable attention has focused on identifying factors that predict suicide among GLB youths. However, to date, research has not examined the relation of history of suicide attempts to long-term adjustment of GLB youths. Longitudinal relations between suicidality, psychosocial factors (e.g., self-esteem, social support, and negative social relationships), and subsequent changes in psychological distress were examined among an ethnically diverse sample of 156 GLB urban youths. Thirty-five percent of the youths had attempted suicide. Past suicide attempters were found to have higher levels of depressive symptoms, anxious symptoms, and conduct problems at a later time than youths who neither attempted nor ideated. Psychosocial factors failed to explain these relations. The interaction among past suicidality, social support, and negative relationships was found to predict subsequent changes in all three psychological distress indicators six months later. Specifically, high levels of support (either from family or friends) or negative relationships were found to predict increased psychological distress among youths with a history of suicide attempts, but not among youths without a history of suicidality. These findings suggest that GLB youths who attempt suicide continue to have elevated levels of psychological distress long after the suicide attempt. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of the youths’ social relationships in long-term psychological adjustment. These findings suggest that service providers need to attend to the social relationships of GLB youths and address negative social relationships when identified.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:
• Recognize that past suicide attempts have long-term relations with subsequent psychological distress among GLB youths.
• Describe the role psychosocial factors play in this relation.
• Articulate the problematic role that social relationships have for the long-term adjustment of GLB youth with a history of suicide.
• Discuss the the implications of this research for interventions targeting GLB youth with a history of suicide attempts.

Keywords: Suicide, Gay

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.