Minority Stress, Distress, and Suicide Attempts in Three Cohorts of Sexual Minority Adults

A U.S. probability sample

April 2021

Using data from the Generations Study, this report examines a representative sample of LGBQ people in the U.S. from three age groups—young (18-25), middle (34-41), and older (52-59)—to assess how stress, identity, and connectedness with the LGBT community differ among generations. It appeared in PLOS ONE in March 2021.

AUTHORS

Ilan H. Meyer
Distinguished Senior Scholar of Public Policy
Stephen T. Russell
Professor, University of Texas, Austin
Phillip M. Hammack
Professor, UCSC
David M. Frost
Associate Professor, University College London
Bianca D.M. Wilson
Senior Scholar of Public Policy, Former

CONTACT US ABOUT THIS STUDY

Highlights

Young LGBQ people experience high or the highest levels of everyday discrimination, psychological distress, and internalized homophobia.

Younger LGBQ adults showed more extreme experiences of victimization in a shorter span of time than the middle and older cohorts.

Young LGBQ people reported the highest levels of connection to the LGBT community and identification with their sexual identity.

Data Points

10%

of young LGBQ adults identify as gender nonbinary

4%

of the older cohorts identify as nonbinary

30%

of young LGBQ adults reported at least one suicide attempt in their lifetimes

21%

of the older cohort reported attempting suicide at some point

24%

of LGBQ people in the middle age cohort reported attempting suicide in their lifetimes

21%

of the older cohort reported the same

37%

of young LGBQ adults experienced being physically or sexually assaulted

46%

had someone threaten them with violence

14

age young LGBQ people identified as LGBQ

16

age the middle cohort identified as LGBQ

18

age the oldest cohort identified as LGBQ

Read the open-access journal article

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Minority Stress, Distress, and Suicide Attempts in Three Cohorts of Sexual Minority Adults

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