Suicidality among sexual minority and transgender adolescents: a nationally representative population-based study of youth in Canada

Abstract

Background: Very little research has Results: We included 6800 adolesheterosexual peers. Adolescents described risk of suicidal ideation and cents aged 15–17 years, including attracted to multiple genders had suicide attempt among transgender 1130 (16.5%) who indicated some 2.5 times the risk of suicidal ideation youth using high-quality, nationally rep-degree of same-gender attraction, 265 (95% CI 2.12 to 2.98) and 2.8 times the resentative data. We aimed to assess risk (4.3%) who were unsure of their risk of suicide attempt (95% CI 2.18 to of suicidality among transgender and attraction and 50 (0.6%) who reported 3.68). Youth questioning their sexual sexual minority adolescents in Canada. a transgender identity. Compared orientation had twice the risk of havwith cisgender, heterosexual adolesing attempted suicide in their lifetime Methods: We analyzed a subsample of cents, transgender adolescents (95% CI 1.23 to 3.36). adolescents aged 15–17 years from the showed 5 times the risk of suicidal ide-2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children ation (95% confidence interval [CI] Interpretation: We observed that and Youth, a nationally representative, 3.63 to 6.75; 58% v. 10%) and 7.6 times transgender and sexual minority ado-cross-sectional survey. We defined particithe risk of suicide attempt (95% lescents were at increased risk of suipants’ transgender identity (self-reported CI 4.76 to 12.10; 40% v. 5%). Among cidal ideation and attempt compared gender different from sex assigned at cisgender adolescents, girls attracted with their cisgender and heterosexual birth) and sexual minority status (self-to girls had 3.6 times the risk of peers. These findings highlight the reported attraction to people of the same previous-year suicidal ideation (95% need for inclusive prevention gender) as exposures, and their self-CI 2.59 to 5.08) and 3.3 times the risk approaches to address suicidality reported previous-year suicidal ideation of having ever attempted suicide (95% among Canada’s diverse youth andlifetimesuicideattemptasoutcomes. CI 1.81 to 6.06), compared with their population.