Minority stressors and suicidal ideation in sexual minority individuals across adulthood.

Abstract

Background: Suicidal ideation occurs at relatively high rates among adults identifying as sexual minorities compared to those identifying as heterosexual, and minority stress is one explanation for this disparity. Minority stress is known to associate with increased suicidal ideation, but research on how minority stress associates with suicidal ideation in sexual minority adults across the adult lifespan is lacking.

Methods: Data were collected online from 284 sexual minority adults ranging in age from 18 to 85. Participants were recruited from Prolific and completed self-report measures assessing past-month suicidal ideation and multiple sexual minority stressors.

Results: The minority stressors of acceptance concerns, concealment motivation, and difficulty processing one's identity were positively correlated with likelihood of past-month suicidal deation. Age moderated the relationship between two minority stressors and suicidal ideation: identity uncertainty and internalized homonegativity. These relationships were only significant among older adults, compared to middle-age and younger adults.

Conclusion: Specific internalized minority stressors about one's sexual identity were significantly associated with past-month suicidal ideation for older adults. More research is needed on how minority stress impacts recent suicidal ideation for sexual minority adults across the lifespan.