Victimization related to suicidal behavior among college students

Students victimized because of their sexual orientation are more prone to commit suicide, according to a new study by UW researcher Heather Murphy.

The impetus for the study was a question posed by a 15-year-old gay male with suicidal tendencies whom she counseled during an internship at the School of Psychology.

The student asked her: "Does it get better in college?"

The study, conducted in 2007, found that individuals who identified as heterosexual but also reported being attracted to same-sex individuals were three times more likely to plan suicide and six times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year, when compared to heterosexuals.

Individuals who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual were found to have been twice as likely as those who identify as heterosexual to have planned or attempted suicide.

Maurice Warner, associate director of the UW Counseling Center, said that although he was not aware of the study, he agrees with its general findings.

"Sexual orientation can be a significant source of stress, especially if the environment you are in is not supportive," he said. "Another example of significant stress is financial pressure. Anything that causes stress will make it more likely that students think about suicide. That's one reason we have the Q Center and other resources to let students feel like they can be open about who they are."

The suicide rate of college students has remained consistent for the past several decades, Warner said.

"For college students, it's one death per year per 10,000 students at schools comparable to [the] UW. On this campus that would mean there would be 3-4 suicides per year. It's been slightly lower in the past couple of years, but has remained constant," he said.

For the study, which researched the link between victimization and suicidal behavior among college students, Murphy gathered 528 UW students. Of these, 404 identified as heterosexual; 79 identified as same-sex individuals attracted to heterosexuals; 38 identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual and seven said that they were not sure of their sexual identity. The median age was 19 and students ranged from ages 19 to 26.

"There's never enough awareness about suicide prevention resources," Warner said. "[At the UW] we do outreach through FIGs, orientation and a pilot suicide prevention program in the residence halls. Most students who need these services are not aware of the resources until they need them. But that's not a good time to try and find resources since [the student] has less energy."

The study is the first of its kind and was the first to research students who identify as heterosexual but report being attracted to individuals of the same sex or engaging in same-sex behavior.

"Any death by suicide is unacceptable. [The UW] and every university [is] making resources available," Warner said.

[Reach reporter Chris Paredes at news@thedaily.washington.edu]