Transgender study links discrimination, suicide attempts
February 14, 2014
A new study has been completed on suicide risk among transgender and gender-non-conforming people, based on the results of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey released three years ago. The risk of suicide attempts among this population overall is high: approximately 41% of survey respondents reported having made an attempt. The new study, conducted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, found that respondents who said their sexual identity had been responded to with violence, discrimination, or rejection by family and friends were at much greater risk for suicidal behavior than others in the same population. Jodi Herman, co-author of the study and manager of transgender research at the Williams Institute, commented: “What it says to me is that those are the areas we should start looking at. There seem to be some links between negative experiences and suicide attempts that need further investigation. Experiencing discrimination, violence, family rejection — those things are definitely related in this study to elevated prevalence of suicide attempts.”
Spark Extra! Learn about Saving Our Lives: Preventing Suicide in Transgender Communities Video and Discussion Guide & read the study Suicide Attempts among Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Adults