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#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth – Nearly Half Of #Multiracial #LGBTQ+ #Youth Seriously Considered #Suicide In The Past Year
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A new report is one of the first to look at #mentalhealth in #queer #youth that also considers the intersectionality of identifying as multiple #races or #ethnicities
Compared with #LGBTQ+ #youth who identified as one #race or #ethnicity, those who identified as #multiracial were more likely to have seriously considered or attempted #suicide
Nearly half of #multiracial #LGBTQ+ #youth seriously considered #suicide in the past year.
Those are the new findings in a report published this month by the #LGBTQ+ #youth #mentalhealth organization the #TrevorProject.
It’s been well established that #LGBTQ+ #youth are at increased risk for #suicidalthoughts and #suicideattempts compared with their #straight and #cisgender counterparts. But according to the #TrevorProject, this research is among the first to consider how the intersectionality of identifying with more than one #ethnic or #racial identity affects #suiciderisk.
“To our knowledge, this new report is the first of its kind to exclusively explore the #mentalhealth and well-being of #multiracial #youth who are #LGBTQ, highlighting their unique #mentalhealth experiences, risk factors, and protective factors,” says Myeshia Price, PhD, the director of research science at the #TrevorProject, who is a coauthor of the report.
This data should inform future research and the development of interventions to help, says Nicholas E. Grant, PhD, a clinical #psychologist and the president of GLMA, a national organization focused on promoting health equity for #LGBTQ and all #sexual and #gender minority individuals.
“#Suicideprevention, intervention, and ‘post-vention’ programs and initiatives must be tailored to be based in cultural humility. We are long past the point where it is acceptable to simply identify that one model works for the majority,” he says.
For the new research, 33,993 #LGBTQ individuals ages 13 to 24 answered online surveys in late 2021; 4,379 reported that they identified with more than one #race or #ethnicity.
Across nearly all the questions about feelings of #anxiety and #depression, #suicidalthoughts, and #suicideattempts, the young people who identified as #multiracial were at higher risk than those who identified as monoracial. In most cases, those who identified as exclusively a #youthofcolor had a higher risk than those who identified as #white and another #race or #ethnicity.
The data showed that when it came to #suiciderisk:
48 percent of the #multiracial #youth reported seriously considering #suicide within the past year, compared with 44 percent of those who identified as monoracial
17 percent of the #multiracial #youth reported attempting #suicide within the past year, compared with 14 percent of those who identified as monoracial
Among those who identified as more than one #race or #ethnicity:
52 percent who reported being exclusively a #youthofcolor said they had seriously considered #suicide in the past year, compared with 47 percent of those who identified as #white and another #race or #ethnicity
21 percent who reported being exclusively a #youthofcolor said they had attempted #suicide in the past year, compared with 16 percent of those who identified as #white and another race or #ethnicity
The data also showed that #multiracial #youth were slightly more likely to report having had feelings of #anxiety in the two weeks before taking the survey than monoracial #youth (75 versus 72 percent). And among the #multiracial #youth, those who identified as exclusively a #youthofcolor were slightly more likely to have such feelings than their peers who identified as #white and another #race or #ethnicity.
The trend was the same for #youth who reported having feelings of #depression in the prior two weeks: 60 percent of #multiracial #youth reported having such feelings, compared with 57 percent of monoracial #youth; and 66 percent of those who identified exclusively as a #youthofcolor reported having such feelings, compared with 59 percent of those who identified as #white and another #race or #ethnicity.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
More Insight on Intersectionality of Being #LGBTQ+ and #Multiracial
Previous evidence showed the steep disparity in #suiciderisk for #LGBTQ+ #youth compared with #heterosexual and #cisgender #youth.
Data published in 2020 by the #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention (#CDC) showed that #lesbian, #gay, and #bisexual #highschoolstudents were at higher risk of #suicidalthoughts and #suicideattempts from 2015 to 2019 than their #heterosexual peers. Another nationwide survey of #highschool #students, published in 2018 by the #CDC, found that while 13.3 percent of #heterosexual #students reported having seriously considered #suicide, 47.7 percent of #lesbian, #gay, and #bisexual #students had.
Neither of those reports, however, collected the same detail when it came to #racial and #ethnic identity as the new research from the #TrevorProject, nor did they analyze #suiciderisk by the intersectionality of identifying as #multiracial and being #LGBTQ.
“The work here is notable, as it is common in research to look at participants’ primary identities, but not often specifically examine the unique factors and lived experiences associated with #multiracialidentities,” Dr. Grant says.
It helps increase understanding of both the risk and protective factors that #multiracial #LGBTQ #youth can experience, he adds. “This work is also significant in that it explores the experiences of #multiracial #LGBTQ #youthofcolor compared to #multiracial #LGBTQ #youth, who may identify to some degree as #white, which expands the conversations around #whiteprivilege and how it is experienced by these #youth.”
Dr. Price says this is the first step in addressing the problem. “Once we have research that allows us to better understand where the greatest need and disparities exist, it helps us set a road map and path forward for addressing them through evidence-based action,” they say.
Determining How to Better Address #MentalHealth Needs for These #Youth
The new data from the #TrevorProject also found that 31 percent of #multiracial #LGBTQ #youth had experienced #homelessness in the past or had experienced food insecurity in the past month. More than three quarters (77 percent) reported experiencing discrimination based on their #sexualorientation or #genderidentity in the past year, and 39 percent experienced discrimination because of their #race or #ethnicity. More than two-thirds had also been physically threatened or harmed because of their #sexualorientation or #genderidentity.
Similar findings came from a 2017 University of Chicago report, which showed that young people who identified as #LGBT were at higher risk of #homelessness than straight and #cisgender #youth; and #LGBT #youth were found to have a 120 percent higher risk of #homelessness than non-#LGBT #youth, in a nationally representative survey sample of more than 4,000 individuals ages 13 to 25.
“It is critical that we invest in #mentalhealthservices and prevention programs that are attuned to the nuanced ways in which #multiracial #LGBTQ #youth navigate and experience the world,” Price says.
Grant agrees. “Our interactions with healthcare systems, and more specifically with #mentalhealthcare systems, are largely informed by our culture. The more we can uplift and support work, such as that from the #TrevorProject, the farther we will get in developing and establishing effective programs that will help people when they are in crisis.”
Another important finding from the report is that social support from family, friends, and #schools significantly lowered #suiciderisk for #LGBTQ young people.
The survey found that #multiracial #LGBTQ #youth who reported high levels of social support from family were 55 percent less likely to attempt #suicide in past year. If a #multiracial #LGBTQ #youth attended an #LGBTQ-affirming #school, it reduced their risk of a #suicideattempt in the past year by 33 percent.
Another 2021 report from the #TrevorProject found that all levels of respect and affirmation, such as respecting preferred pronouns or being able to change a name on legal documents — significantly reduced #LGBTQ #youth’s suicidality.
Wayne Pearson, LICSW, an #adolescent and young #adult #psychotherapist at Fenway Health, a Boston-based healthcare center that specializes in caring for #LGBTQ+ individuals, says that if you know someone who is struggling with their #mentalhealth, let them know that they can talk to you and have an open and honest conversation.
“Giving that person the time and space to have these difficult conversations is important,” he says. “A lot of times people considering #suicide feel as though they’re alone, and having someone to help identify that I hear you, I see you, and I value you is really important.”
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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