Age Profiles of Suicide Attempt Among Sexual Minority Adolescents

Studies consistently document sexual orientation-based suicide attempt disparities. The minority stress framework indicates that exposure to distal (e.g., discrimination) and proximal (e.g., identity concealment) stressors can cause psychological distress, increasing the risk of suicide attempt, especially during identity development. Although sexual minorities (SMs) appear to experience a higher risk of suicide attempt, the authors are unaware of research exploring how suicide attempt risk varies across age among SMs. Identifying the period in which adolescents face the highest risk of suicide can improve prevention efforts by tailoring interventions to the unique contextual and developmental conditions and needs adolescents experience.