Symposia
LGBQT+
Julie Prud'homme, B.A., M.S.
University of Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Brianna J. Turner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Victoria
Victoria, BC, Canada
The first year of college is pivotal for wellbeing and sexual orientation development, as many students tackle several challenges at once, including negotiating new sexual identities (Alessi et al., 2017). Mobility toward sexual minority identities is linked to increased depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs) in young adults (Everett, 2015; Fish & Pasley, 2015); however, studies have not yet explored the role of sexual orientation mobility on STBs during the critical first year of college. We recruited first-year students in September, and, after completing several baseline measures including the Self-injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (Nock et al., 2007), they were invited to complete 7 monthly online follow-up surveys, which included items assessing their sexual identity, past-month suicidal thoughts, and past-month NSSI. We compared students who consistently identified as heterosexual (n=452, 73% female), consistently identified as sexual minorities (SM; n=112, 79% female), and identified as heterosexual at the outset of the year and as SM at some point during the follow-ups (het-to-SM; n=38, 84% female). Relative heterosexual peers, SM students and het-to-SM students were more likely to endorse a lifetime history of a suicide plan (15% and 15% vs. 5%; c2(2)=17.00, p< .001), suicide attempt (19% and 15% vs. 5%; c2(2)=24.52, p< .001), and NSSI (50% and 49% vs. 21%; c2(2)=43.10, p< .001). SM and het-to-SM students reported more suicidal thoughts in the month before starting college (15% and 12% vs. 2%; c2(2)=31.70, p< .001), and SM students were more likely than heterosexual students to endorse lifetime suicidal ideation (60% vs. 31%; c2(2)=30.76, p< .001). SM and het-to-SM students were also more likely to endorse NSSI over the course of their first year of college (24% and 16% vs. 8%; c2(2)=22.83, p< .001), and SM students were more likely to report suicidal ideation throughout the year relative to heterosexual peers (29% vs. 11%; c2(2)=24.52, p< .001). Among the het-to-SM students, there was a small decrease in suicidal ideation following the shift in sexual orientation (Cohen’s d=-.16) but an increase in depressive symptoms (Cohen’s d=.29). These findings suggest that sexual minority students are at greater risk for STBs than their heterosexual peers, and that mobility towards a SM orientation may protect against suicidal ideation but not depressive symptoms. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of how changes in sexual identity impact mental health disparities in first-year students.