The Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) youth who commit suicide are found to be bullied before their death, according to a recent study. It said that LGBTQ youth were bullied five times more than others.
JAMA Pediatrics published the study. In the study, the researchers analysed about 10,000 death records in the United States from 2003 to 2017. All the youth who committed suicide were between 10 and 19 years of age. The researchers also claimed their study to be the first of its kind to find that bullying had led the youth to take their own life.
Lead author Kirsty Clark (postdoctoral associate at Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Conn), said that there was clear evidence to show that LGBTQ youth have double the risk of bullying that includes in-person bullying and cyberbullying — than their heterosexual peers.
She said that they explored national database that had all records of coroners, medical examiners and law enforcement. She also said that death certificates were even examined. They also collected information from families and friends and also checked decedents’ social media posts, texts and even suicide notes.
The study found that 60 per cent of suicides among straight teens and 53 percent among LGBTQ youth occurred between 17 and 19 years of age. It also said that one third of suicides in straight teens occurred between 14 and 16 years of age when compared to 38 per cent among LGBTQ. When 8 per cent suicides in straight youth occurred between 10 years and 13 years, it was 9 per cent among LGBTQs.
The study also pointed out that several steps should have to be taken against such crimes. They called for introducing stronger school-based anti-bullying programs, encouraging parents to be more supportive, training paediatricians to screen LGBTQ patients for signs of bullying, ensuring that anti-bullying policies explicitly address the role of sexual orientation and gender identity harassment.
