Presentation Type

Presentation

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Greg Machek

Faculty Mentor’s Department

Psychology

Abstract / Artist's Statement

Sexual minorities (e.g. lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) are at greater risk for childhood bullying, self-harm, and suicidality than the heterosexual population. Research has also shown that bullying victimization is related to increased negative mental health outcomes. Additionally, some subgroups of sexual minorities, such as bisexuals, have been reported to experience higher rates of adverse mental health than their gay and lesbian peers. However, less is understood about how the relationship between childhood bullying and deleterious mental health may impact different subgroups of sexual minorities.

The current study examined responses from 1,507 sexual minority participants in the Generations: A Study of the Life and Health of LGB People in a Changing Society dataset (Meyer, 2020). Sexual minority participants were grouped into four categories (i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and ‘additional’; ‘additional’ was comprised of queer, pansexual, asexual, same-gender loving, anti-label, and other) to investigate if the relationship between childhood bullying and self-harm and suicidality differs between subgroups. The study analyzed the relationships between reported childhood bullying experiences and three mental health outcomes: frequencies of engaging in self-harm, experiencing suicidal ideation, and making a suicide plan. Results indicate that no significant differences between sexual minority subgroups were found. This highlights that childhood bullying relates to similar levels of harmful mental health consequences across all sexual minorities regardless of which subgroup they identify as. These results point to the need for equally supportive and effective interventions for sexual minorities that experience bullying in order to ameliorate potential mental health challenges including suicidality.

Category

Humanities

Share

COinS
 
Apr 22nd, 10:20 AM Apr 22nd, 10:40 AM

Differences in Childhood Bullying Experiences and Self-Harm and Suicidality Across Subgroups of Sexual Minorities

UC 330

Sexual minorities (e.g. lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) are at greater risk for childhood bullying, self-harm, and suicidality than the heterosexual population. Research has also shown that bullying victimization is related to increased negative mental health outcomes. Additionally, some subgroups of sexual minorities, such as bisexuals, have been reported to experience higher rates of adverse mental health than their gay and lesbian peers. However, less is understood about how the relationship between childhood bullying and deleterious mental health may impact different subgroups of sexual minorities.

The current study examined responses from 1,507 sexual minority participants in the Generations: A Study of the Life and Health of LGB People in a Changing Society dataset (Meyer, 2020). Sexual minority participants were grouped into four categories (i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and ‘additional’; ‘additional’ was comprised of queer, pansexual, asexual, same-gender loving, anti-label, and other) to investigate if the relationship between childhood bullying and self-harm and suicidality differs between subgroups. The study analyzed the relationships between reported childhood bullying experiences and three mental health outcomes: frequencies of engaging in self-harm, experiencing suicidal ideation, and making a suicide plan. Results indicate that no significant differences between sexual minority subgroups were found. This highlights that childhood bullying relates to similar levels of harmful mental health consequences across all sexual minorities regardless of which subgroup they identify as. These results point to the need for equally supportive and effective interventions for sexual minorities that experience bullying in order to ameliorate potential mental health challenges including suicidality.