First Advisor

Rings, Jeffrey A.

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

8-2017

Department

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Applied Psychology and Counselor Education, APCE Student Work

Embargo Date

11-7-2019

Abstract

As rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicides within the sexual minority population have surpassed those of heterosexuals, it has become crucial for researchers and counseling psychologists to better understand the unique stress that sexual minority individuals experience. The present study examined the impact that sexual minority stress had on two constructs of the interpersonal theory of suicide, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, as well as on suicidal ideation among a sample of sexual minority adults (n = 197). Three multiple linear regressions were conducted to assess if the sexual minority stress constructs of sexual orientation victimization, rejection sensitivity, visibility management, and internalized homophobia had a predictive ability in the models. Results for all three models showed that the four sexual minority stress constructs combined to help predict the degree of each thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal ideation. More specifically, results in all three models also demonstrated that of the four constructs, sexual orientation victimization and visibility management had a significant direct effect on the degree of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and suicidal ideation, respectively. In addition, two-tailed independent sample t-tests were used to examine possible differences for each sexual minority stress construct among lesbian and gay participants versus non-lesbian and gay participants (i.e., bisexual, asexual, pansexual, other). An unexpected result was found in that lesbian and gay participants reported being more visible in their sexual orientation than did non-lesbian and gay participants. Overall, the results provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between the sexual minority stress model and the interpersonal theory of suicide, and suggest that their integration may play an important role in assessing and understanding sexual minority suicide risk.

Keywords

Suicide -- Prevention -- Research; Suicidal behavior -- Research; Sexual orientation -- Psychological aspects; Sex (Psychology)

Extent

238 pages

Local Identifiers

Hicks_unco_0161D_10594

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

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