Linking LGBTQ Identity Disclosure Reactions and Suicidal Ideation Among Youth: The Mechanism of Interpersonal-Psychological Factors.

OBJECTIVE

How parents and peers react to LGBTQ youth's identity disclosure plays a critical role in the youth's mental health. Building on the minority stress model and the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, this longitudinal study examined the associations between disclosure reactions from parents and peers and suicidal ideation through perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.

METHOD: Two waves of survey data were used, with an analytic sample of 1,019 LGBTQ youth (Wave 1: Mage = 18.83, SD = 1.84). Approximately half of the participants identified as lesbian or gay, 87.1% as cisgender, 54.4% as female assigned at birth, and 39.7% as Hispanic/Latinx. We examined the indirect effects of disclosure reactions from mothers, fathers, school peers, and friends at Wave 1 on suicidal ideation at Wave 2 through perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness at Wave 1.

RESULTS

Compared with negative reactions, positive reactions from mothers were associated with less perceived burdensomeness, which in turn was associated with less suicidal ideation. However, this indirect effect was not significant after controlling for baseline suicidal ideation. On the other hand, positive reactions and no reaction from school peers, and positive reactions from friends were associated with less thwarted belongingness, but thwarted belongingness was not associated with suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the need to consider multiple social contexts when examining the impact of minority stress on LGBTQ youth. Moreover, by documenting psychological mechanisms that link minority stress to mental health, this study informs intervention efforts targeting the modifiable interpersonal-psychological processes.