An Intersectional Modeling of Risk for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury among LGBTQ Adolescents

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is described as the intentional destruction of one’s own bodily tissue without lethal intent and is a common behavior among adolescents and young adults. While previous research highlights the disparities regarding non-suicidal self-injury for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer/questioning, and transgender students, few studies examine the nuances between sexual orientation and gender identity. This study (N = 10,330) uses the 2015 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey to examine variations in adolescents’ risk and protective factors based on the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity. This study investigates how these identities along with other known risk factors impact the likelihood of engaging in non-suicidal self-injury. Results from this study indicate that non-suicidal self-injury is a common experience among lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer/questioning, and transgender youth and that the likelihood of these experiences are differential based on the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity. Highlights The results from this study suggest that not only are transgender and LGBQ youth at increased risk of experiencing NSSI compared to their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts, but that the intersection of gender identity and sexual orientation augment these risks in nuanced ways among members of this community. Contextual factors, such as depression, suicidality, or recent experiences of dating violence affect these levels of risk for transgender and LGBQ youth. These findings underscore the importance of caring adults in the lives of young people who were half as likely to participate in NSSI than young people without caring adults.