Symposia
LGBQT+
Riley McDanal, BA
PhD Student
Stony Brook University
Ridgewood, New York
Alex Rubin, B.S.
Graduate Student
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Jenny Shen, M.A.
Graduate Student
Stony Brook University
Rego Park, New York
Jessica Schleider, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
Kathryn R. Fox, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Denver
Denver, CO
Background. Rates of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs), including suicidal ideation (SI) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), are elevated among LGBTQ+ youth compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers. Online single-session interventions (SSIs) have demonstrated utility for targeting SITBs among adolescents, and thus may be an effective avenue for rapidly increasing access to support for managing SITBs among LGBTQ+ youth. Online SSIs appear to be broadly effective and acceptable to both LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual adolescents, but research is limited. Despite differences across specific sexual and gender identities, limited research has assessed whether SSIs differ in efficacy across specific LGBTQ+ subgroups. The purpose of this study was to assess whether gender modality (i.e., transgender vs. cisgender) or sexuality were associated with differential outcomes in response to online SSIs.
Methods. Data were drawn from a larger randomized control trial assessing youth (ages 11-17) responses to two online SSIs and an active control condition. Regardless of condition, participants (N=2452) completed the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview – Short Form prior to the intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Participants also reported sex assigned at birth, gender, and sexuality. Zero-inflated negative binomial regressions were conducted to examine whether sexuality or gender modality impacted treatment outcomes (NSSI and SI frequency at 3-month follow-up) above and beyond intervention condition and NSSI or SI frequency at baseline.
Results. Compared to cisgender heterosexual participants, cisgender participants who identified as asexual or queer/other reported higher SI frequencies (p < .05) at follow-up, and cisgender participants who identified as bisexual/pansexual were more likely to experience any SI (p < .05) at follow-up. Sexual orientation was unrelated to presence and frequency of NSSI at follow-up. Compared to transgender and gender diverse participants, cisgender participants reported lower SI frequencies and lower likelihood of experiencing any SI (ps < .05) at follow-up. Additionally, they reported lower NSSI frequencies (p < .05) and were less likely to engage in NSSI (p < .01) at follow-up.
Conclusions. Results highlight the importance of disaggregating across LGBTQ+ identities when considering persisting risk for NSSI and suicide ideation. Further research examining mechanisms underlying these disparities in intervention outcomes will be important.