Perceived life expectancy and life purpose mediate relation between discrimination and suicide attempts in LGBTQ+ youth

Abstract

Discrimination related to one’s sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI) is associated with suicide risk in LGBTQ+ youth, and protective factors, such as greater perceived life expectancy and life purpose, are associated with reduced risk. However, no research has examined the relationship between SOGI-based discrimination, life purpose, and perceived life expectancy in LGBTQ+ youth, especially considering suicide risk. After implementing a conditional process modeling approach with LGBTQ+ youth (N = 28,524; cross-sectional), we found that life purpose and perceived life expectancy partially mediated the relationship between SOGI-based discrimination and attempting suicide in the past year. Perceived life expectancy also partially mediated the relationship between life purpose and attempting suicide, with lower life purpose being associated with lower perceived life expectancy. Recommendations for researchers, providers, policymakers and other LGBTQ+ facing adults are included that can inform policy and crisis intervention, as well as methods of improving the perceived life expectancy and life purpose of LGBTQ+ youth. In this study, Hobaica and colleagues investigate how perceived life expectancy and life purpose mediate the relationship between gender- and sexual orientation-based discrimination and suicide risk in a large US sample of LGBTQ+ youth.