New Research Suggests a Link Between Lower Teen Suicide Rates and Legalized Same-Sex Marriage

A new study from JAMA Pediatrics suggests there’s a link between the legalization of same-sex marriage and lower suicide rates among LGBTQ teens.

Coming to terms with their sexuality can be a confusing time for any teen. Whether in the closet or coming out, LGBTQ teens face tremendous societal and family pressure due to being part of a sexual minority.

According to CBS News, “Suicidal behavior is much more common among gay, lesbian and bisexual kids and adults; about 29 percent of these teens in the study reported attempting suicide, compared with just 6 percent of straight teens.”

However, a recent study from JAMA Pediatrics suggests that the rates of suicide amongst LGBT teens are ticking downwards, with the authors of the study theorizing that this trend is attributable to the continued success of same-sex marriage legalization initiatives and other pro-LGBT acceptance policies.

The study states:

“Among the 762 678 students (mean [SD] age, 16.0 [1.2] years; 366 063 males and 396 615 females) who participated in the YRBSS between 1999 and 2015, a weighted 8.6 percent of all high school students and 28.5 percent of 231 413 students who identified as sexual minorities reported suicide attempts before implementation of same-sex marriage policies. Same-sex marriage policies were associated with a 0.6–percentage point (95% CI, –1.2 to –0.01 percentage points) reduction in suicide attempts, representing a 7 percent relative reduction in the proportion of high school students attempting suicide owing to same-sex marriage implementation. The association was concentrated among students who were sexual minorities.”

The authors of the JAMA Pediatrics study do admit that their findings are preliminary at best, saying “…our analysis does not allow us to understand the mechanisms through which implementation of same-sex marriage policies reduced adolescent suicide attempts.”

However with that said, the authors state the need for more research, and implore policy-makers to take possible mental health complications into account, writing, “As countries around the world consider enabling or restricting same-sex marriage, we provide evidence that implementing same-sex marriage policies was associated with improved population health. Policymakers should consider the mental health consequences of same-sex marriage policies.”