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GB Male Suicidality at a Glance! Results of 30 studies in four tables.  "Attempted Suicide" Results For Homosexually Oriented Males & Females: More Than 140 Studies! At Another Website (Includes Transgender Study Results)

Youth Risk Behavior Surveys

Special: Calculating the "Total Homosexuality Factor In Adolescent Suicidality" Using the Seattle 1995 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results - Males: "Attempted Suicide" [ > 34.3% of the Problem ] - Males "Attempted Suicide & Received Medical Attention"  [ > 38.4% of the Problem ] - Females: "Attempted Suicide" [ > 38.8% of the Problem ] - Females "Attempted Suicide & Received Medical Attention" [ > 44.1% of the Problem ]. Important Note:

Not one Adolescent Survey has collected the data required to calculate
the total "Homosexuality Factor" in Adolescent Suicidality.

Is it Possible or Likely that "The Homosexuality Factor" is Associated
With Close to 50% of the More Serious Adolescent Suicidality?

In A Well-Designed Canadian Random Study of Young Adult males, Bagley and Tremblay (1997, Full Text)
Reported that 62.5% of the Serious Suicide Attempters Were homosexual/Bisexual-Identified
and/or Reported Having Same-Sex Sex in the Past Six Months.

Minnesota* 1987, Minnesota Student Survey 1992, 1998, 2004.

Massachusetts 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009.

Vermont 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011; Vermont: Franklin County 2005.

Massachusetts/Vermont 1995/1997:  Re-Evaluation Study.

Wisconsin 1997, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2007 & 2009 Combined, 2007, 2009 & 2011, Combined.

Rhode Island 2007.

Oregon, 1997, 1999, 2007 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey, 2006-2007-2007 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey.

Connecticut** 1997.

San Francisco, 1997, 2009. 

Boulder County, Colorado 2003. Boulder County Results in One Table: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011.

Washington, DC 2007, 2009.

Seattle 1995 - General Results; 1995 Males & 1995 Female Results, Two Suicidality Variables, Includes suicidality Related to Anti-Gay/Lesbian Abuses Directed at Those Presumed to be Gay or Lesbian in All Sexual Orientation Categories; 1995 & 1999 Males & 1995 & 1999 Female Results, Two Suicidality Variables.

Chicago 2003, 2005, 2009 & 2011. - Illinois, Including Chicago 2009. Illinois 2011.

San Francisco, 1997, 2009.

New York City 2005.

British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey 1992, 1998, 2003.

Montreal 2004.

Important: Caveat for homosexuality related studies of adolescents.

*Study done using the Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey Questionnaire amended to solicit "sexual orientation" information.
**Voice of Connecticut Youth Survey

In 2011, the CDC - via its MMWR  publication - reported the suicidality results for all the 2001 to 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys - each as a grouped data set from 2001 to 2009 - from both states and cities - that had solicited sexual orientation information, such as identity and/or the sex of one's sexual partner(s). The "In the Past Year"  suicidality results are re-tabulated here to show that sexual minority adolescents (males and females, combined) are, as a rule (generally), but with some exceptions, at increasing risk - relative to heterosexual adolescents - for the more serious suicidal behaviors or outcomes. This fact would strongly suggest that sexual minority adolescents are also more at risk for suicide. The Suicidality Variables Data Tables are:

A. State Study Results Generated on the Basis of Sexual Identity: Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont.

1. Gay / Lesbian Identity vs. Heterosexual Identity.
2. Bisexual Identity vs. Heterosexual Identity.
3. "Not Sure" 'Identity' vs. Heterosexual Identity.

B. City Study Results Generated on the Basis of Sexual Identity: Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco.

1. Gay / Lesbian Identity vs. Heterosexual Identity.
2. Bisexual Identity vs. Heterosexual Identity.
3. "Not Sure: 'Identity' vs. Heterosexual Identity.

C. State Study Results Generated on the Basis of the Sex of One's Sexual Partner(s): Connecticut, Maine, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin.

1. Only Same-Sex Sex Partners vs. Only Opposite-Sex Sex Partners.
2. Both-Sex Sex Partners vs. Only Opposite-Sex Sex Partners.

D. City Study Results Generated on the Basis of the Sex of One's Sexual Partner(s): Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, San Diego.

1. Only Same-Sex Sex Partners vs. Only Opposite-Sex Sex Partners.
2. Both-Sex Sex Partners vs. Only Opposite-Sex Sex Partners.

Minnesota Student Survey, Minnesota (2004)

Minnesota Department of Education (2004). 2004 Minnesota Student Survey Statewide Tables: Fall 2004. Internet: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/healthcare/documents/pub/dhs_id_049112.pdf .

Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR, 2008). Status of Girls in Minnesota. Research and Writing by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota. PDF Download.

Note: Download Page for Documents Produced from the Minnesota Student Survey. On this page, the following is stated: "The Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) provides students, parents and their communities a dynamic vehicle for on-going communication about issues vital to the health, safety and academic success of youth. Some survey results and additional reports are available below. Most documents are in PDF format." Maybe it should read as follows: 'The Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) provides students, parents and their communities a dynamic vehicle for on-going communication about issues vital to the health, safety and academic success of youth on the basis of sex and race/ethnicity, but not on the basis of same-sex sex behavior that would be a proxy for sexual orientation. Given that the great majority of youth are heterosexual, the results therefore best approximate the situation only for heterosexual students. Over the years, we have specialized in not including any "at risk" results on the basis of sexual orientation for reasons that we would rather not reveal. Some survey results and additional reports are available below. Most documents are in PDF format.' 

Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey, Minnesota (1987)

Research Highlights: - A 1987 sample of 36,254 grades 7 to 12 Minnesota students from whom sexual orientation and suicidality information was solicited. This was a part of the Adolescent Youth Risk Behavior Survey which was amended given that the standard (CDC-approved) questionnaire does not solicit sexual orientation information. Self-identified gay/bisexual male adolescents (about 1% of males) were deemed to be at significantly greater risk (by a 7-times factor) for a suicide attempt compared to heterosexual male adolescent. Their respective lifetime attempted suicide rates are 28.1% versus 4.2%.

Comment:  This study demonstrating that gay/bisexual male adolescents are at higher risk for suicide attempts than their heterosexual counterparts is, however, only a part of the "at risk" picture for these boys. A 1996 study of the same sample reported that "homosexual males were more likely to report a poor body image (27.8% vs. 12.0%, frequent dieting (8.9% vs. 5.5%), binge eating (25.0% vs. 10.6%), or purging behaviors (e.g., vomiting: 11.7% vs. 4.4%) compared with heterosexual males." (French SA, Story M, Remafedi G, Resnick MD, and Blum RW, 1996. Sexual orientation and prevalence of body dissatisfaction and eating disordered behaviors: a population-based study of adolescents. International Journal of Eating disorders, 19(2), 119-26. PubMed abstract. Full Text.

Saewyc EM, Bearinger LH, Heinz PA, Blum RW, Resnick MD (1998). Gender differences in health and risk behaviors among bisexual and homosexual adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 23(3), 181-8. (PubMed abstract. PDF)

Research Highlights.  Further analysis of the 1987 Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey sample first reported on by Remafedi et al. (1998).  Suicide attempt rates for homosexual/bisexual males and females were 28.1% and 20.5%, respectively, versus 4.2% and 14.5% for their heterosexual counterparts. The authors of this study, however, note that "nearly 1 of 3 older boys and girls reported at least one suicide attempt." No explanation is given for this but the implications would be that, by the age of 15 to 18 (for this sample ranging in age from about 12 to 18), about one-third of homosexual / bisexual adolescents have attempted suicide - the female attempted suicide rate having become insignificantly different from the male rate. Two explanations are possible. With age, the lifetime "attempted suicide" tally increases, more for females. And/or: with age, more individuals (especially females) are self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, thus increasing the tally of lifetime suicide attempters in this category - who may have been listed in the "heterosexual-identified" category if they had been studied at an earlier age. Younger students, even after having attempted suicide for reasons related to sexual orientation, may not be ready to reveal the "homosexuality" aspect of themselves to anyone (possibly because they were rejecting or denying this aspect of self to themselves)- and they would therefore also not report this aspect of self on a pencil-and-paper questionnaire.

Remafedi G, Resnick M, Blum R, Harris L (1992) Demography of sexual orientation in adolescents. Pediatrics. 89(4-2), 714-21.  (PubMed abstract. PDF)

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (2009)

 
Summary Available at: - http://www.mass.gov/cgly/YRBS09Factsheet.pdf. Download Page.

Sample Size: 2,707 students, 59 randomly selected public high schools.

Massachusetts 2009 YRBS Results: GLB vs. Others: Attempted Suicide (24.7% vs. 5.6%), Attempted, Received Medical Attention (8.8% vs. 2.2%).

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (2007)

 
Summary Available at: - http://www.mass.gov/cgly/yrbs07.pdf (Download Page) & http://akconsultingservices.com/akjoomla/index.php/services/statistics/2007-youth-survey.html.

Sample Size: 3,131 students, 59 randomly selected public high schools.

Massachusetts 2007 YRBS Results: "29.1 percent attempted suicide and 12.1 percent attempted suicide that required medical attention. That compares to 6.4 percent and 2.2 percent respectively in those same categories for their straight counterparts. - Massachusetts High School Students and Sexual Orientation, Results of the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey: GLB vs. Others: Attempted Suicide (29.1% vs. 6.4%), Attempted, Received Medical Attention (12.1% vs. 2.2%).

 
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (2005) 

Summary Available at: - http://www.mass.gov/cgly/yrbs05.pdf. Download Page.

3.7 percent of students surveyed described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

6.4 percent of all students described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual and/or reported same-sex sexual contact.

Students who described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual were significantly more likely than their peers to report attacks, suicide attempts and drug and alcohol use. When compared to peers, this group was:

        over four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year.
        over four times more likely to miss school in the past month because of feeling unsafe.
        almost twice more likely to have been injured or threatened with a weapon at school..

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (2003)

 Summary Available at: - http://www.mass.gov/gcgly/yrbs03.pdf .

3.5 percent of students surveyed described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

6.0 percent of all students described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual and/or reported same-sex sexual contact.

Students who described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual were significantly more likely than their peers to report attacks, suicide attempts and drug and alcohol use. When compared to peers, this group was:

        over five times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year.
        over three times more likely to miss school in the past month because of feeling unsafe.
        over three times more likely to have been injured or threatened with a weapon at school..

All differences between GLB students and Others are statistically significant, p < 0.05

RRs & ORs: Calculated by Webpage Author Using Given Data:  2-way Contingency Table Analysis. GLB versus Others.

Massachusetts' YRBS Report: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/03/results.pdf . Excerpts:

Sexual minority youth (i.e., students who either identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or had any same-sex sexual contact) were more likely than other students to be current smokers (48% vs. 19%) and daily smokers (23% vs. 6%).

Sexual minority youth were significantly more likely than other students to report current alcohol use (60% vs. 45%) and binge drinking (44% vs. 26%).

Sexual minority youth were significantly more likely than other students to report lifetime drug use (73% vs. 46%) and current drug use (49% vs. 29%).

Certain groups of students reported higher rates than their peers of violence-related behaviors. These groups included male students, students in younger grades, Black students, students of Other or Multiple Ethnicity, students in urban districts, recent immigrants, sexual minority students, and students with disabilities.

Sexual minority youth (i.e., students who either identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or reported any same-sex sexual contact) were significantly more likely than other students to have carried a weapon (24% vs. 13%), been in a physical fight (44% vs. 30%), and to have been in a gang (23% vs. 9%). They were also significantly more likely to have skipped school because they felt unsafe (15% vs. 4%), been bullied (42% vs. 21%), been threatened or injured with a weapon at school (22% vs. 5%), and to have experienced dating violence (30% vs. 9%) or sexual contact against their will (41% vs. 8%).

Students in urban districts, recent immigrants, students with disabilities, sexual minority youth, and students who have experienced violence were more likely than their peers to report a suicide attempt.

Certain groups of students were significantly more likely than their peers to report a suicide attempt:... Sexual minority youth (32% vs. 7% of other students), Students who were bullied at school (15% vs. 6% of students who were not bullied), Students who skipped school because they felt unsafe (33% vs. 7% of students who did not skip school for safety concerns), and Students who had experienced dating violence or sexual contact against their will (27% vs. 5% of students who did not experience dating violence or sexual contact against their will).

Adolescents who have experienced school victimization, dating violence, sexual contact against their will are especially vulnerable to suicidality, as are gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents, students in urban areas, and recent immigrants.

Sexual minority youth were significantly more likely than other students to report never or rarely wearing a seat belt (29% vs. 15%), riding with a drunk driver (45% vs. 26%), and driving after drinking (24% vs. 11%).

Sexual minority youth and students in urban communities had higher rates than their peers of most sexual risk behaviors.

Four percent (4%) of all students described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and 5% had same-sex sexual contact98 in their lifetimes. In all, 6% of students could be considered sexual minority youth; that is they either identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or had any same-sex sexual contact in their lifetimes.

Sexual minority youth were significantly more likely than other students to report lifetime sexual intercourse (77% vs. 39%), sexual intercourse before age 13 (21% vs. 4%), sexual intercourse with four or more partners in their lifetimes (32% vs. 9%), and recent sexual intercourse (54% vs. 29%). Among students who ever had sexual intercourse in their lifetimes, sexual minority youth were significantly more likely than other students to report having ever been or gotten someone pregnant (17% vs. 9%)  and having been diagnosed with HIV or another STD (16% vs. 7%).

Sexual minority youth were significantly less likely than other students to have been taught about AIDS or HIV infection in school (85% vs. 92%).. Recent immigrants, sexual minority students and students in urban districts were significantly less likely to have received AIDS or HIV education in school.. Similarly, sexual minority youth have significantly higher rates than their peers of sexual risk behaviors and may be at particularly high risk of STDs and HIV infection.

Sexual minority youth (i.e., students who either identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, or had any same-sex sexual contact) were significantly less likely than other students to report having breakfast every day (22% vs. 33%), participating in regular vigorous physical activity (44% vs. 62%), playing on a sports team (40% vs. 55%), and were significantly more likely to be at risk of becoming overweight (22% vs. 13%) and to have used an unhealthy weight control method (38% vs. 16%).

Patterns of risk are different for different students. Certain groups of students appear to be at greater risk for health and academic problems because of higher rates of risk behaviors. Gender, race/ethnicity, grade level, sexual orientation, kind of community, and many other factors were all related to variations in risk behavior. Although all students need the knowledge, encouragement, and skills to develop healthy lifestyles, it may also be appropriate to develop “targeted” programs aimed specifically at the risks faced by certain segments of the adolescent population.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (2001)
 

Data at Source: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrbs/01/results.pdf N/A (PDF Download). New URL: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/01/results.pdf .

• Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual (GLB): 2% of Males, 4% of Females
• 53% of GLB: No same-sex sexual activity.
• Same-sex sexual activity reported: 47% GLB
• GLB and/or Report Same-Sex Sexual Activity: 5% of Males & Females.

Sexual Minority Youth vs. Others: Intercourse, life (73% vs. 43%) - Intercourse, recent (52% vs. 32%) - Pregnancy Involment (27% vs. 11%) - >= 4 Sex Partners, life (36% vs. 11%) - HIV, STD Testing (42% vs. 24%).

The Safe Schools Program for Gay & Lesbian Students: Program & Resources.
 

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (1999)

"Sexual minority adolescents (those who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or reported any same-sex sexual contact) comprised 5.5% of students participating in the survey." Citation From: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrbs99/chapter6.html. N/A New URL: http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/99yrbs6.pdf - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/chapter6.html - Download Page:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/default.html .

A total of 4,415 students participated in the study. Therefore, there are about 243 "sexual minority youth" and 4,172 students defined as "other students." These figures are used for calculation in data tables below. The actual numbers may be slightly different.

"Sexual minority youth (i.e, adolescents who either identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and/or those who had any same-sex sexual experience [5.5% of students]) reported higher rates than their peers of considering suicide (49% vs. 20%), making a suicide plan (39% vs. 15%), actually attempting suicide (29% vs. 7%), and of requiring medical attention for a suicide attempt (18% vs. 3%). Differences were statistically significant both for self-identified sexual orientation and for same-sex behavior."
 

NOTE: One out of five male and female adolescent suicide attempters and one of four male and female adolescent suicide attempters who received medical attention is a sexual minority youth. On the basis of the Garofalo et al. (1999) study, it is likely that the proportion will be significantly higher for sexual sexual minority male youth, and  lower for sexual minority female youth when compared to their same-gender counterparts.

Data / Citation Source: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrbs99/chapter8.html N/A. New URL: http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/99yrbs8.pdf - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/chapter8.html - Download Page:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/default.html .

"Sexual minority youth (those who identified themselves as gay/lesbian/or bisexual and/or who had any same-sex sexual contact) had higher rates of drug use than their peers, including higher lifetime rates of using marijuana (70% vs. 49%), cocaine (29% vs. 9%), methamphetamines (30% vs. 7%), and injected drugs (18% vs. 2%)."

NOTE: One out of 3 students reporting having injected illicit drugs is a sexual minority youth. The 18% of sexual minority youth reporting injecting illicit drugs (n = 44) and the 2% of other students having done the same (n = 83) produces a total of 127 adolescents reporting such activities. Therefore, 34.6% of students (44/126 = 34.6%) reporting injecting illicit drugs are sexual minority youth who form 5.5% of the student population.

Data / Citation Source: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrbs99/chapter4.html. N/A New URL: http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/99yrbs4.pdf - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/chapter4.html - Download Page:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/default.html .

"Sexual minority adolescents (that is, those who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and/or had a history of same-sex sexual contact) reported substantially higher rates of school-related violence than their peers, regardless of whether comparisons were made on the basis of self-identified sexual orientation, same-sex behavior, or both."

"Among male students, those who identified themselves as gay or bisexual and/or who had any same-sex sexual experience were more likely than their male peers to consider themselves overweight (41% vs. 22%). They had significantly higher rates than other male students of trying to control their weight by fasting (21% vs. 6%), taking diet pills (19% vs. 4%), and vomiting or taking laxatives (22% vs. 4%). On the other hand, they were similar to other males in terms of actual Body Mass Index."

Citation Source: - - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrbs99/chapter10.html N/A. New URL: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/99yrbs10.pdf - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/chapter10.html . - Download Page:  http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/99/default.html .
 

Results: Sexual Orientation/ Same-Sex Sexual Contact

Four percent (4.2%) of all students reported having same-sex sexual experience at some time; percentages of youth with same-sex sexual experience were the same for males and females. Most adolescents (52%) who have had same-sex sexual experience identify themselves as heterosexual; an additional 12% of these youth identify themselves as "not sure" of their sexual orientation.

In all, 5.5% of all students and 9.4% of sexually experienced students could be considered "sexual minority" youth; that is, they have had same-sex sexual contact and/or describe themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

Among adolescents with any history of sexual activity, sexual minority youth were more likely than their peers to report other sexual risks, including:

• having had four or more sexual partners during lifetime (39% vs. 21%),
• having experienced sexual contact against their will (37% vs. 16%),
• having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (19% vs. 4%), and
• having ever been or gotten someone pregnant (18% vs. 8%).

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students

The MYRBS found that:

• 2.8 percent of students surveyed described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
• 5.5 percent of all students described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual and/or reported same-sex sexual contact.

Students at Risk

Students who described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual were significantly more likely than their peers to report attacks, suicide attempts and drug and alcohol use. When compared to peers, this group was:

• over four times more likely to have attempted suicide
• over three times more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe
• three times more likely to have been injured or threatened with a weapon at school

Reported Behaviors	GLB Students*	Other Students
Attempted suicide in the past year	32.8 %	7.6%
Required medical attention as a result of a suicide attempt	18.5%	3.7%
Skipped school in the past month because of feeling unsafe on route to or at school	20.0%	6.0%
Was threatened/injured with a weapon at school in the past year	24.4%	8.2%
Was In a physical fight resulting in treatment by doctor or nurse	20.3%	4.2%

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (1997)

Demographic Results: "Two percent (2.0%) of students (1.6% of males, 2.4% of females) describe themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. One fourth (26%) of these students have had no sexual experience in their lives. - Three percent (3.0%) of all students (3.5% of males, 2.4% of females) have at some time had same-sex sexual experience. About one percent (0.9%) of students both identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and have had same-sex sexual experience. - In all, 4.0% of all students, and 6.1% of sexually active students have had some same-sex sexual contact and/or describe themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual."

Considering only adolescents with any history of sexual activity, those who described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and/or who had ever had any same-sex sexual partner were more likely than other sexually experienced students to report other sexual risk behaviors, including:

having had four or more sexual partners during lifetime (44% vs. 24%),

having experienced sexual contact against their will (56% vs. 18%),

having used alcohol or drugs prior to last sexual intercourse (36% vs. 23%), and

having ever been or gotten someone pregnant (24% vs. 12%) 53

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (1995)

Garofalo R, Wolf RC, R, Lawrence MS, and Wissow S (1999). Sexual orientation and risk of suicide attempts among a representative sample of youth. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 153(5), 487-93. Abstract from APAM web site. Related Reuters' article (May, 1999): Gay, lesbian adolescents face high suicide risk. (Alternate Link)

Research Highlights:

The study is an analysis of 3.8% of public school students reporting being GLBN (gay, lesbian, bisexual, or "not sure" of their sexual orientation), and 96.2% reporting being heterosexual, their average age being 16.1 years. Latter group includes individuals reporting same-sex activity, but not identifying as GLBN, or 0.81% of the sample. The 1.9% percent of the sample reporting same-sex activity had a suicide attempt rate (for the past 12 months) of 30.6% versus 9.2% for their heterosexual counterpart. The suicide attempt rate for adolescents identified as GLBN was 31.0% versus 9.1% for heterosexual identified adolescents, .22.7% versus 9.1% for adolescents "not sure" of sexual orientation, and 35.3% versus 9.1% for GLB adolescents (not including "not sure" adolescents). GLBN adolescents also at significantly greater risk than heterosexual adolescents for receiving a high score on the three "risk behaviors" scales used for analysis (p < .001): (1) drug use, (2) sexual behavior, and (3) violence / victimization. Given that 18.3% of adolescents did not answer either the sexual orientation question (11%) or the suicide attempt question (10%), the analysis applies only to 81.7% of the total sample: N = 3365 out of 4167 students.

Result of bivariate analysis: GLBN adolescents were 3.4 times more likely (p < .001) than heterosexual adolescents to report a suicide attempt in the past 12 months (31.0% versus 9.1%). For females, reporting a suicide attempt was 2.02 times more likely (p < .006) for LBN adolescents. For males, reporting a suicide attempt was 6.5 times more likely (p < .001) for GBN adolescents.

Result of logistic regression - OR (Odds Ratio) - for cited factor predicting a suicide attempt in the past 12 months:

Males and Females: female (4.43), GLBN (2.28), Hispanic/Latino (2.21), Violence/Victimization (2.06).

Females Only: Hispanic/Latino (2.66), Violence/Victimization (2.35), LBN (1.42); LBN orientation not statistically significant predictor of suicide attempt.

Males Only: GBN (3.74), Hispanic/Latino (1.66), Violence/Victimization (2.35); GLBN orientation statistically significant predictor of suicide attempt.

Comments: Being "female"  is the best predictor of a suicide attempt but, in itself, this factor explains absolutely nothing about why females are at greater risk for attempting suicide. The same applies for being Latino/Hispanic, GLBN, and GBN (in male category). Although the authors stated that GBN males were 6.5 times more likely than heterosexual males to report a suicide attempt, it was maybe thought unimportant to report the percentage of suicide attempters in each category, but males had a suicide attempt rate of  6.4%. Using an estimate of about 4.7% for GBN males (3.8% GB males + .0.9% "not sure") in calculations, the relative rate of suicide attempters would be 33% versus 5.1% for GBN males compared to heterosexual males, with another estimate also made possible. About one quarter - 24.3% -  of male suicide attempters are in the GBN category. Stated otherwise, 4.7% of the students in the GBN category account for about 25% of the male suicide attempt problem.

Missing form this calculation, however, are the male reporting same-gender sexual activity but not identifying as GBN. It is reported that 1.8% of students were in this category and that 55% of them identified as GLBN, while 45% (0.81% of students) identified as heterosexual. This group as a whole, however, has a suicide attempt rate of 30.6%, meaning that maybe the "0.81%" (percentage not given for males only) should have not been placed in the "heterosexual" category - even if they identified as such - given that many in this group are on the path to later GLB identification - as is often reported to have been the case for many GLB adults when reporting on their adolescent years and their often serious problems related to identifying as GLB in spite of most obvious - and acted upon - homosexual desires. Given that this "at risk" group should have been included  to the above calculation, the results may have been that GBN males, including the homosexually active ones self-identifying as heterosexual (for a total of about 5.5% of male subjects), would likely account for more that a quarter (+25%) of the male adolescent suicide attempt problem.

Caveats noted in the study - and especially the ones noted in the Caveat Alert, indicate that the "24.3%" would be an absolute minimum, as would be the "6.5-times" greater risk factor for a suicide attempt by GBN males. In fact, the results of the Turner et al. (1998) study of males aged 16-19 years indicate that, at least with respect to "homo-sex" activity, about 80% of adolescent homo-active males will omit this information on pencil-and-paper questionnaires - the data intake method used in YRBS studies - compared to computer-based data intake methods. A version of the latter was used in the Bagley & Tremblay (1997) study of 750 randomly sampled males ranging in age from 18 to 27 years. The results produced an estimate for lifetime "suicide attempts" to the average age of about 22.5 years, About 11% of homosexually oriented males (defined on the basis of homosexual or bisexual self-identification and/or "being currently homosexual active" (but may not identify as homosexual or bisexual) accounted for 62.5% of the male youth attempted suicide problem. These males were also 14-times more likely than other males to report a suicide attempt.
 

Garofalo R, Wolf RC, Kessel S, Palfrey J, and DuRant RH (1998). The association between health risk behaviors and sexual orientation among a school-based sample of adolescents. Pediatrics, 101(5), 895-902. (Pediatrics Web site "abstract" link.  Related press release by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Note disclaimer at bottom of press release. For AAP  Policy Statement in the form of the 1993 article Homosexuality and Adolescence published in Pediatrics. . Press Release: Boston Children's Hospital. -  Related "Reuters" article, Chicago, May 4, 1998). - Washington Blade Article. - (A PubMed "abstract" link with article delivery service. If link is not working, access abstract via PubMed's Medline. Place this "unique identifier number" - 98232540 - in SEARCH window.)

Research Highlights: - A random sample of 4159 grade 9 to 12 Massachusetts students completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 1995. The survey instrument, however, was amended to solicit sexual orientation information, thus making possible "risk behavior" comparisons on this basis.

Compared to heterosexual-identified adolescents, homosexually-identified adolescents (gay, bisexual, and lesbian, forming 2.5% of the student population) were:

3.6 times more likely to attempt suicide in the past 12 months (35.5% vs 9.9%)

14.4 times more likely to have used cocaine before the age of 13 (17.3% vs 1.2%)

9.4 times more likely to have used cocaine in last 30 days (25.3% vs 2.7%)

4.8 times more likely to have used cocaine in lifetime (33% vs 6.9%)

8.9 times more likely to have used crack or freebase use in lifetime (35.3% vs 3.5%)

14.1 times more likely to have shared needles for illicit drug use in lifetime (15.5% vs 1.1%)

6.4 times more likely to have used anabolic steroids in lifetime (25% vs 3.9%)

9.6 times more likely to have injected illegal drugs in lifetime (22.2% vs 2.3%)

2.6 times more likely to have been in a fight at school in the past 12 months (38.1% vs 14.4%)

3.4 times more likely that a fighting injury required medical treatment in the past 12 months (14% vs 4.1%)

4.9 times more likely to have missed school in the last 30 days because of fear (25.1% vs 5.1%)

2.8 times more likely to have brought a weapon to school in the last 30 days (25.3% vs 8.9%)

5 times more likely to have brought a gun to school in the last 30 days (24.7% vs 4.9%)

4.6 times more likely to have been threatened with a weapon at school in the last 30 days (32.7% vs 7.1%)

5.1 times more likely to have had more than 3 sexual partners in last 3 months (37.9% vs 5.1%)

3.6 times more likely to have experienced sex against their will in lifetime (32.5% vs 9.1%)

All the above and a number of other risk behaviors (with lesser magnitude of relative risk) were significantly different at the p < .00001 level.

Additional research results are available via "abstract" links listed above.

Information Sources: http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrb95/yrb95ltr.html N/A . New URL: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/95/ . .- Table of Contents -  Summary of Results by SIECUS in SHOP Talk (School Health Opportunities and Progress) Bulletin, Vol. 3(5), 1998: - Health Risk Behaviors and Sexual Orientation Among Adolescents.- The GLBT Health Access Project [A collaborative project initiated in 1996 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and its founding partners Justice Resource Institute (JRI), The Medical Foundation (TMF), and JSI Research and Training (JSI)]: GLBT Health Concerns in Massachusetts: Highlights of Recent Research.
 

Suicide Information Summary available from the Massachusetts' Department of Education -  1995 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey at  - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrb95/yrb95ltr.html N/A - New URL: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/95/ , and from data made available in Sexual Orientation and Youth Suicide by Lynne Levine & Linda Beeler. Paper presented at Defining the Problem and Meeting The Challenge: Third Bi-Regional Adolescent Suicide Prevention Conference held in Breckenridge, Colorado, September, 1997.

From: the "Sexual Behaviors" section of the file - http://www.doe.mass.edu/hssss/yrb95/yrb95111.html#c6 N/A. - New URL: - http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/95/yrb95111.html#c6 .

Students who describe themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and/or who have had same-sex sexual contact are more likely than their peers to report being involved in violence-related incidences and being threatened, including:

• being in a physical fight in the past year (62.3% vs. 37.3%),
• not going to school in the past month because of feeling unsafe at school or on the way to or from school (20.1% vs. 4.5%),
• being threatened/injured with a weapon at school in the past year (66.7% vs. 28.8%),
• carrying a weapon in the past month (43.5% vs. 19.0%), and
• attempting suicide in the past year (36.5% vs. 8.9%).

• heavy alcohol use (5+ drinks in a row) in the past 30 days (47.6% vs. 33.2%),
• recent marijuana use (58.0% vs. 31.3%), and
• lifetime cocaine use (31.0% vs. 6.8%).

4.4% of high school students (grades 9-12) identified as gay, lesbian. or bisexual, and/or reported same-gender sexual activity.

These 'GLB' adolescents were..... (compared to other adolescents):

1.9 times more likely to have considered suicide in the past year (48.8% vs 24.6%).

2.3 times more likely to have planned a suicide in the past year (40.5% vs 17.5%).

4.0 times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year (36.0% vs 8.9%).

Comment: - Given that 4.4% of students either self-identified or reported same-gender sexual activity, and that 2.5% are said to self-identify (Garofalo et al., 1998), 1.9% of students would therefore be homosexually active but not-self-identifying as gay, lesbian. or bisexual. According to Garofalo et al. (1998), the risk of GLB adolescents for attempting suicide in the past year was 35.5% compared to 9.9% for heterosexual-identified adolescents. Adding the "1.9%" homosexually active but  non-GLB-identifying student to the "2.5%" self-identifying group (for a total of 4.4%) did not cause a significant difference in "suicide attempt" results: In fact, above, Garofalo et al (1999), reports that the 1.8% of adolescents reporting homosexual activity had a suicide attempt rate of 30.6%.

Of the "4.4%" of homosexually oriented students (based either on self-identification or being homosexually active), 36% reported a suicide attempted in the past year compared to 8.9% for "non-GLB" students according to Levine & Beeler (1997). or "their peers" according to Massachusetts' 1995 YRBS's "Sexual Behavior" section.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Massachusetts (1993)

Highlights: - From a 1993 sample of 3054 grades 9 to 12 students in Massachusetts: 1668 (57%) report having been sexually active with opposite sex only (heterosexual intercourse, 48.7%), both sexes (bisexual, 1.7%), and same-sex only (homosexual, 2.0%), for a total of 3.7% of students being homosexually active by the average age of 16 years. Homosexually active students were "more likely to report fighting and victimization, frequent use of alcohol, other drug use, and recent suicidal behaviors."

Compared to heterosexually active adolescents, homosexually active adolescents were:

1.5-times more likely to have considered suicide (41.7% vs 28.6%).

2.1-times ,more likely to have attempted suicide once (27.5% vs 13.4%).

4.2-times more likely to have made a suicide attempt requiring medical attention (20.0% vs 4.7%).

8.1-times more likely to have attempted suicide 4 or more times (16.1% vs 2.0%).

All the above are statistically significant at p < .05
 

Homosexually active adolescents were also more at risk for manifesting behaviors, and/or having experiences which may be associated with adolescent (even adult) suicide problems.

Compared to heterosexually active adolescents, homosexually active adolescents were:

4.0-times more likely to be involved in episodic heavy drinking (15.0%% vs. 3.8%).

8.7-times more likely to currently be consuming alcohol every day (10.9% vs 1.2%).

6.0-times more likely to to have used cocaine at least once (19.2% vs 3.2%).

19.0-times more likely to have used cocaine 10 or more times (13.3 vs .7%).

5.1-times more likely to have used illegal drugs other than alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine (17.8% vs 3.5%).

6.7-times more likely to have injected illegal drug (20.8% vs 3.1%).

All the above are statistically significant at p < .05
 

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Montreal (2004)

Montreal 2004 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Suicidality Results: Non-Heterosexual Groups vs. Heterosexual
Category	All	Hetero- sexual No Homo 1	GLB Identified	Unsure Identity	Hetero- sexual   Some Homo 2	p
N, %	1,856 100%	1,624 87.5%	58 3.1%	59 3.2%	115 6.2%	-
Depressed Mood 3	641 34.5%	528 32.5% a	36 62.1% a	26 44.1%	51 44.3%	< 0.001
-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Suicide ideation 4	313 16.9%	235 14.5% a,b,c	26 44.8% a	22 37.3% b	30 26.1% c	< 0.001
Odds Ratios Unadjusted 6	-	Reference Category	4.80 (2.81–8.21) p < 0.001	3.51 (2.04–6.06) p < 0.001	2.09 (1.35–3.24) p = 0.001	-
Regression Odds Ratios Adjusted 6	-	Reference Category	2.31 (1.22–4.37) p = 0.010	2.64 (1.38–5.08) p = 0.004	1.26 (0.76–2.08) p = 0.373 ns	-
Suicide Attempt 5	177 9.5%	133 8.2% a,b	17 29.3% a	12 20.3% b	15 13.0%	< 0.001
Odds Ratios Unadjusted 6	-	Reference Category	4.65 (2.57–8.41) p < 0.000	2.86 (1.48–5.53) p = 0.002	1.68 (0.95–2.98) p = 0.074 ns	-
Regression Odds Ratios Adjusted 6	-	Reference Category	2.23 (1.15–4.35) p = 0.018	1.61 (0.77–3.36) p = 0.203 ns	1.03 (0.55–1.91) p =  0.926 ns	-
Data Source: Zhao et al. (2010) 1. Without Same-Sex Attraction or Behavior Reported 2. With Same-Sex Attraction or Behavior Reported 3. Depressed mood was measured by asking, “During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?” 4. Suicidal ideation was assessed dichotomously with the item, “During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?” 5. Suicide attempt was assessed with the item, “During the past 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide?” 6. Reference Category: Heterosexual, No Homosexuality. 7. Adjusted or Controlled in Binary Regression Model using the following variables: age, gender, depressed mood, smoking, drinking, marijuana use, hard drugs, fighting, physical abuse, sexual abuse, early sexual behavior, and sexual identity. a. Heterosexual without same-sex attraction/fantasy or behavior significantly different from GLB, p < .0083 based on Bonferroni correction. b. Heterosexual without same-sex attraction/fantasy or behavior significantly different from unsure, p < .0083 based on Bonferroni correction. c. Heterosexual without same-sex attraction/fantasy or behavior different from heterosexual with same-sex attraction/fantasy or behavior, p < .0083 based on Bonferroni correction.

Zhao Y, Montoro R, Igartua K, Thombs BD (2010). Suicidal ideation and attempt among adolescents reporting "unsure" sexual identity or heterosexual identity plus same-sex attraction or behavior: forgotten groups? Journal of the American Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(2): 104-13. Abstract.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Rhode Island (2007)

Rhode Island 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Suicidality Results: GLBU vs. Heterosexual
Category	N Weighted %	Felt Sad Hopeless 1 %	Considered Suicide 2 %	Planned Suicide 3 %	Attempted Suicide 4 %	Received Medical Attention 5 %
Heterosexual	1954 90.1%	20.8%	9.6%	9.7%	6.6%	3.1%
GLBU: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Unsure	225 9.9%	50.3%	33.5%	26.8%	31.0	10.5%
RR: Risk Ratios OR: Odds Ratios 6	-	2.4 3.9	3.4 4.6	2.8 3.4	4.7 6.4	3.4 3.7
Binary Regression Analyses Controls = 8 variables		-	-	-	-	-
Heterosexual (Reference Category)		1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
GLBU: Odd Ratios 95% Confidence Intervals 7		2.7 (1.6, 4.5) p < 0.001	3.1 (1.8, 5.2) p < 0.001	2.0 (1.2, 3.4) p < 0.001	3.5 (2.4, 5.2) p < 0.001	2.0 (1.1, 3.5) p < 0.05
Data Source: Jiang et al. (2010) 1. Depressed mood was measured by asking, “During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?” 2. Suicidal ideation was assessed dichotomously with the item, “During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?” 3. Planning Suicide was asseessed by asking "During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?" 4. Suicide attempt was assessed with the item, “During the past 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide?” 5. Suicide attempt(s) associated with receiving medical attention was assessedwith the item: "If you attempted suicide during the past 12 months, did any attempt result in an injury, poisoning, or overdose that had to be treated by a doctor or nurse? 6. Not given by Zhao et al. (2010). Calculated by webpage author using 2-way Contingency Table Analysis. 7. Results given by Zhao et al. (2010). The 8 control variables are: Sex, Grade Level, Academic performance, Usual language at home, Did not go to school owing to safety concerns, Forced to have sexual intercourse, Current smoking, and Perceived weight. Note: The Rhode Island Departments of Health and Elementary & Secondary Education (2009) gives many of the variable incidence results on the basis of sexual orientation.

Jiang Y, Perry DK, Hesser JE (2010). Adolescent suicide and health risk behaviors: Rhode Island's 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 38(5): 551-5. Abstract.

Rhode Island Departments of Health and Elementary & Secondary Education (2009). Sexual Orientation and Health Risks Among Rhode Island Public High School Students in 2007. PDF.

Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey: 2011

Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey: 2009

Outright Vermont (2010). 2009 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey N/A (Archive Link): In the past 12 months, 26% of gay/lesbian students, 29% of bisexual students and 10% of those 'not sure' of their sexual orientation had attempted suicide, compared to 4% of heterosexual students.

Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey: 2007

Outright Vermont (2008). 2007 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey N/A (Archive Link): In the past 12 months, 26% of gay/lesbian students, 29% of bisexual students and 10% of those 'not sure' of their sexual orientation had attempted suicide, compared to 4% of heterosexual students.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Vermont: Franklin County (2005)

 2005 Franklin County Student Health Survey Regional Results. Internet: http://www.frcog.org/pubs/teen/05survey.pdf.

Suicide and Sexual Orientation

Overall, students who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are significantly more likely to have considered, planned, and attempted suicide than their heterosexual peers (p<=.01). Only 6 students reported identifying as “transgendered”, too small a number to produce reliable results.

* In the Past 12 Months.
** ORs for category versus heterosexual.
Appromimate ORs. Counts used for calculations are estimated from percentages given.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Vermont (2005)

Source: - http://www.outrightvt.org/education/youth_stats.shtml N/A (Archive Link).

The 2005 Vermont Department of Health/Education Youth Risk Behavior Survey¹

Overall this year, 7% of students described themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning (LGBQ) (2005 YRBS Report, page 64).

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Vermont (2001)

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Vermont (1999)

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Vermont (1997)

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Vermont (1995)

Research Highlights: From the Vermont sample of grades 8 to 12 students (in 79 randomly selected public and private schools, 97.5% white) administered the Youth Risk Behavior Survey:  Out of 3886 sexually active adolescent males (36% of boys), 8.7% (Note) reported having been homosexually active (defined by having had "sexual intercourse" with a male).

The statistical analysis basically evaluated the risk for "at risk" behaviors on the basis of the number of male sexual partners reported by males" ("0" to "6 or more"). With an increasing number of male sex partners, males were significantly more at risk for:  (1) suicide attempts ( r = .27, p < 0.0002), (2) "being threatened or injured with a weapon at school, the number of days the students did not attend school because they felt unsafe, and the number of times they had been injured in a fight that required medical treatment." ( r = from .21 to .17, p < 0.0002), and  (3) other behaviors.

Another statistical analysis compared males (131)  with five or more male sex partners with males (895) with five or more female sex partners, thus revealing that 12.8% (131/1026) of the males with the most sexual partners ( > 4 ) are homosexually oriented and over-represented in this category.  The result of this analysis indicated that the homosexually oriented males in this category were more likely to have carried a weapon to school in the last 30 days (p < 0.002), and they were even more likely to carry weapons more frequently, not go to school because of fear, be threatened or injured with a weapon, be in a fight, be injured in a fight and requiring medical attention, be threatened with physical violence, and attempting suicide (all at p < 0.0001).

More statistical results are given, but percentage of males in different risk categories are not given. See data below from another source for the percentages of males "at risk" in the homosexually active vs heterosexually active categories.

Note: There are some discrepancies in the cited number and percentages reported. For example, in Table 1, 3547 boys are noted to not have had sexual intercourse with another male, while a total of 278 boys (86 + 27 + 22 + 12 + 8 + 123) are reported to have had intercourse with a male ranging from the category of "one time" (86) to "6 or more" (123).  These number, however, do not add up to 3886 males, but to 3825 males. Therefore, the percentages of males homosexually active, based on the table data, is 7.3% (278 / 3825). The reason for this discrepancy is not known.

Information Sources: Data reported below is taken from Sexual Orientation and Youth Suicide by Lynne Levine & Linda Beeler. Paper presented at Defining the Problem and Meeting The Challenge: Third Bi-Regional Adolescent Suicide Prevention Conference held in Breckenridge, Colorado, September, 1997. Relevant information is available from Kelly Hale at The Vermont Department of Health (802) 651-1557, or from Shaun Donahue at The Vermont Department of Education (802) 748-8640.

General Information available from The Vermont Department of Health N/A Archive Link - "Gay and Lesbian Youth: Although many lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents lead happy and healthy lives, others face tremendous challenges to growing up physically and mentally healthy. Compared to heterosexual youth, lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people are at higher risk for depression, alcohol and other drug use, suicide, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Suicide is the leading cause of death among this group. They are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers and may account for 30 percent of suicides among youth annually... Same-gender sexual intercourse. 3% of female students and 4% of male students have had sexual intercourse during their lifetime with someone of the same gender. During the past 3 months, 2% of females and 3% of males have had sexual intercourse with same-gender partners." No specific information is given about the "at risk" status of homosexually oriented adolescents.

Suicide Information Summary:

4% of (grades 8 to 12) male students and 3% of female students reported having been sexually active with a same-gender individual.

These 'GLB' adolescents were..... (compared to other sexually active adolescents):

1.6 times more likely to have considered suicide in the past year (59.2% vs 37.1%).

1.8 times more likely to have planned a suicide in the past year (52.8% vs 28.7%).

2.7 times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year (40.7% vs 15.2%).

4.3 times more likely to have attempted suicide which resulted in medical attention (26.5% vs. 6.2%).

Note:  The "at risk" percentages result in this study are higher than in other studies most likely because only sexually active adolescents are being compared, thus indicating that all "sexually" active are more "at risk' than other adolescents, and that homosexually active adolescents are the most at risk.

1995 Vermont YRBS Summary of Results: Full Text N/A.  Archive Link.

According to the 1995 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (VRBS), 4% of all 8th-12th male students and 3% of all femals students have had sexual intercourse with a member of the same sex. When compared

• Four times more likely to have attempted suicide
• Nearly seven times more likely to have been threatened or injured with a weapon at school
• Twice as likely to use alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and inhalants
• More than ten times likely to have used cocaine
• Almost three times more likely to have been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant

A 2002 Re-Evaluation of Massachusetts 1995/97 & Vermont 1995/97 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys: Bisexually Active Adolescents Most At Risk.

Robin L, Brener ND, Donahue SF, Hack T, Hale K, Goodenow C (2002). Associations between health risk behaviors and opposite-, same-, and both-sex sexual partners in representative samples of Vermont and Massachusetts high school.  Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 156(4): 349-55. PubMed Abstract. Full Text.

From this paper, the results of 4 surveys are given: 2 from Vermont, and 2 from Massachusetts. The two surveys from Vermont (1995 & 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey) were combined to form one data set, and the two survey from Massachusetts (1995 & 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey) were combined to form another data set, and results were presented for "Vermont Students" and "Massachusetts Students" from Grades 9 to 12 (High School) as follows for having attempted suicide in the past year:

Percent Attempting Suicide "In the Past Year" (In square brackets [--]: % with suicide attempt associated with having received medical care) for students in 3 categories: (1) Those reporting only opposite sex sexual partners, (2) those reporting only same-sex sexual partner, and (3) those reporting sexual partners of both sexes:

Vermont Students

Those With Only Opposite-Sex Sex Partners (n = 6873) - % attempting suicide = 11.9% [4.5%]
Those With Only Same-Sex Sex partners (n = 249) - % attempting suicide = 16.5% [5.6%]
Those With Sex Partners of Both Sexes (n = 336) - % attempting suicide = 43.5% [26.8%]

Massachusetts Students

Those With Only Opposite-Sex Sex Partners (n = 3948) - % attempting suicide = 12.4% [4.5%]
Those With Only Same-Sex Sex partners (n = 106) - % attempting suicide = 18.5% [7.8%]
Those With Sex Partners of Both Sexes (n = 122) - % attempting suicide = 52.2% [31.6%]

Notes:

1. The above excludes students who are not reporting having had sexual intercourse in their lifetime. Suicide attempts incidences are lower for  students who are not sexually active.
2. There are more student who are bisexually active than students who are only homosexually active - in terms of having sexual partners.
3. Bisexually active students are at the greatest risk for having attempted suicide in the past year. They are also at greater relative risk for suicide attempts associated with having received medical care. Generally, these would be the most serious suicide attempts, but not always.
4. Bisexually active students are also more at risk for a number of other problems. See Paper.

The information presented above is from Table 2, page 252.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Washington DC (2009).

Was the survey purposefully sabotaged to avoid reporting any GLBT "At Risk" data?  [Why was information related the the 2007 YRBS - the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Results - removed from the DC Public Schools Webbsite: Washington, DC 2007 Public High School YRBS: Baseline Findings for GLBQ Items (PDF Download N/A). Use the "search" function at the "DC Public Schools Webbsite" to see if any concerns is noted about gay, lesbian, or bisexual students.]

Chibbaro, Lou Jr (2010): D.C. schools get incomplete score on LGBT youth survey: A survey of risky behavior by D.C. youth, including LGBT youth, was so flawed that its data cannot be weighted, hindering local groups as they work to help gay students and fight HIV... "We’re still going to be reporting it as un-weighted data," he said. "It doesn’t mean we won’t be able to use the data to make the case for grant funding. It just means you won’t be able to compare it to other states and districts." But Hunter said that un-weighted data only "provides a snapshot of what’s going on among the students that were surveyed." She said the data cannot be used to extrapolate the behavior of the entire student population. Only "weighted data," which is obtained from a response rate of 60 percent or greater, can be used to assess the behavior of the larger population group, she said. Tenner said CDC officials told him the D.C. survey response rate was 36 percent for high school students and 54 percent for middle school students. "Many of us use the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for our programs and our grants," Tenner said in an e-mail to local activists. :"From a city-wide perspective, many of us were excited to use YRBS data to objectively measure the city’s effort to improve the health of its youth and to highlight the challenges that remain."

Najafi, Yusef (2010). D.C.'s Failing Grade: Local LGBT students not included in national CDC survey of risk behaviors; District did not achieve adequate response rate for surveys: "OSSE did the survey and in order for them to meet the CDC requirement they have to get a 60 percent response rate," explains David Mariner, executive director of The Center, D.C.'s LGBT community center. "It wasn’t even close to 60 percent," he adds. "It was a 36 percent response rate. I can’t conceive of how that happened, and I haven’t heard a satisfactory explanation." As of Tuesday, March 9, no one has. OSSE did not return calls to Metro Weekly requesting comment before deadline. And representatives from the OSSE could not address the matter during a March 5 Committee of the Whole oversight hearing due to scheduling conflicts. Council Chairman Vincent Gray said during that meeting that the public would speak, and that OSSE representatives will speak at a later date. Mariner says in the past the survey has shed light on the plight of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth whose answers have demonstrated that they are more likely to use crystal meth, that they feel less safe going to school than their straight counterparts, and that they’re more likely to carry a weapon or skip school. The "unusable" 2009 survey was the first to include gender identity...

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Washington DC (2007).