Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 104, Issue 2, Pages 279-286Publisher
AMER PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOC INC
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301508
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Funding
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [R21HD051178]
- National Institute of Drug Abuse [K01DA032558]
- IMPACT LGBT Health and Development Program at Northwestern University
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Objectives. We examined whether sexual minority students living in states and cities with more protective school climates were at lower risk of suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. Methods. Data on sexual orientation and past-year suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts were from the pooled 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Surveys from 8 states and cities. We derived data on school climates that protected sexual minority students (e.g., percentage of schools with safe spaces and Gay-Straight Alliances) from the 2010 School Health Profile Survey, compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students living in states and cities with more protective school climates reported fewer past-year suicidal thoughts than those living in states and cities with less protective climates (lesbians and gays: odds ratio [OR] = 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.47, 0.99; bisexuals: OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.66, 0.99). Results were robust to adjustment for potential state-level confounders. Sexual orientation disparities in suicidal thoughts were nearly eliminated in states and cities with the most protective school climates. Conclusions. School climates that protect sexual minority students may reduce their risk of suicidal thoughts.
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