Childhood sexual abuse, concealment, and suicidality in gay Black and Latinx men.

OBJECTIVE

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a major risk factor for suicidal behavior that disproportionately affects gay men yet remains understudied. Using data from Black and Latinx gay men in Wave 1 of the generations study (N = 127), we examined whether three types of CSA (unwanted touching, coerced sexual contact, and coerced sexual intercourse) predicted suicidal behavior and whether sexual identity concealment moderated these effects.

METHOD: Data were drawn from Wave 1 of the generations study and included 127 Black and Latinx cisgender gay men. Hierarchical logistic regression models tested associations between CSA types and lifetime suicidal behavior. Models controlled for age, income, education, psychological distress, and felt stigma and tested CSA × Sexual Identity Concealment interaction effects.

RESULTS

Unwanted touching and coerced sexual contact were unrelated to suicidal behavior, and effects did not vary by concealment. However, coerced sexual intercourse interacted with concealment (p = .045) and at higher concealment (+1 standard deviation) and was associated with seven times greater odds of suicidal behavior (p = .099). Psychological distress independently predicted suicidality across models.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest identity concealment may heighten suicide risk following severe CSA and underscore the burden of distress among Black and Latinx gay men. Clinically, results highlight the importance of assessing trauma severity and concealment-related stress when evaluating suicide risk and suggest that interventions aimed at reducing concealment-driven distress may be critical for survivors of coerced sexual intercourse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).