Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among gender and sexual minorities: Adults ages 25-44 show highest rates of past month suicidal thoughts

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people are at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors relative to their cisgender heterosexual peers. However, most research in this area has focused on youth, limiting our understanding of suicide risk among SGM adults. To address this gap in the literature, the present study examined suicidal thoughts and behaviors among SGM adults across different age groups using a sample of 10,620 US adults. Consistent with the literature on youth, SGM adults showed higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than cisgender heterosexual adults. When examining prevalence rates across various age groups, young adults (18-25) showed greater suicidal thoughts and behaviors relative to adults ages 45+. However, adults ages 25-44 actually showed the highest rate of past month suicidal thoughts compared to adults ages 18-25. These findings suggest that suicide risk for SGM extends beyond youth and highlights the need for more research on middle-age SGM adults. Additional resources for SGM adults that are not only tailored toward youth and young adults are warranted.