Gay Adolescents and Suicide - Article Example

? Gay Adolescents and Suicide Introduction Extensive research over the past several years has shown that, youths with homosexual preferences, that is, the gay and lesbian adolescents, have a higher tendency to commit suicide than heterosexual teens. Additionally, there appears to be a consensus among psychology scholars that; diverse societal groups such as family units, peer groups, schools, and religious institutions, foster discrimination, marginalization, and stigmatization of young, gay or lesbian individuals. These aspects negate adolescents’ identity development process, thus leading to low esteem and suicidal thoughts. This paper seeks to highlight factors that predispose gay youths to the elevated risk of suicidal tendency compared to heterosexual youngsters, as well as, to provide possible mitigation measures. Suicidal behaviour among gay adolescents is a predominant problem in society and it occurs as a result of (a) confusion hence poor identity development; (b) exclusion and stigmatization within a social environment that discriminates individuals on the basis of sexual orientation; (c) attempts to look for an escape from isolation, hopelessness, and depression. Nevertheless, appropriate measures can be taken to curb this worrying trend and they could range from (a) increasing public awareness of the negative effects of discrimination of gay youth, to (b) creation of programs that enable such adolescents to feel protected and cared for. Incidence of suicide among gay youth In the contemporary society, many youth, at one time or another, contemplate about killing themselves. The youngsters who actually execute their suicide plans add up to about 4000 per year, in America alone. This is a rather troubling trend, but the magnitude of the situation gets accentuated by the fact that, twice as many lesbian and gay individuals, as heterosexuals, commit suicide. In addition, most of these suicides take place during the critical phase of adolescence and youthful adulthood (Kulkin, Chauvin & Percle, 2000). Identity Crisis and Development It is during early adolescence that a person develops awareness about their sexuality and consequent identity, as being heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual. This is, therefore, a critical stage in development and if not carefully guided or supported by one’s social surroundings, then the effects would be devastating. In many countries, there is generally high homophobic attitude. This, coupled with the lack of positive societal role models, culminates in the development of a negative attitude towards gay people, among the youth. This negative attitude develops even before such youngsters can discover their own sexual identity, and by the time they do so, the damage is already done, making them incapable of accepting themselves (Kitts, 2005). Extremely low self-esteem and elevated self-loath builds up in a youngster who discovers that he or she is gay. This is largely attributable to the deep internalization of society instilled negative mental attitude regarding homosexuality. The affected youths have a difficult time trying to recognize and accept themselves. This implies that majority of the young gay people face the dual challenge of coping with hostile reception by friends, family and society in general, as well as, attempting to overcome their self-hate. In most cases, gay adolescents have to face the challenge on their own, with no family, friend or professional support. Consequently, gay youth withdraw into great isolation, instead of confronting the prevailing challenges, hence deterring their own identity development. This occurs during a period when heterosexual adolescents are building up their identity, in addition to learning ways of expressing themselves in social contexts (Kitts, 2005). Factors resulting in increased suicide cases or attempts among gay youth According to Kitts (2005), there is a wide range of risk factors, which make gay adolescents susceptible to suicide and these could be: absence of social backing, mental disorders, feelings of isolation, shame linked to the search for professional help, loss of close relations, drug or alcohol abuse and access to guns, among other aspects. Like individuals from other societal minority groups, young gay individuals are vulnerable to persistent and severe stress occurring as a result of societal stigmatization, a condition often referred to as “minority stress”. Therefore, the debilitating stress, internalised homophobic attitude, and psychological health troubles, all pave way for thoughts and attempts of suicide. These factors which lead to creation of social environs characterized by stigma, marginalization and discrimination of gay adolescent and discussed in detail in subsequent text subdivisions. Prejudice in the Family Based on a study conducted by Lebson (2002), respondents indicate that revelation of their sexual orientation to close family members was met with scepticism, rejection and demands for them to change back to normal. This is a clear illustration that, society has deeply rooted stereotypic misconceptions about lesbian, gay or even bisexual individuals. These stereotypes are further driven by homophobia and the mistaken notion that heterosexual individuals in society are better than homosexuals. The outright rejection of gay youth by close relatives fosters self-denial or makes the youngsters resort to living double lives. In extreme cases, rejection would not only come in form of social stigma, but also physical ejection of affected persons from their homes. Overall, family dynamics concerns like conflict, absence of parental support, rejection and loss of connection, all play a vital role in enhancing suicide risk among gay youth. Further, mistreatment within a family unit whether verbal, physical, sexual or psychological, raises the danger of suicidal conduct by gay youth. Internet Utilization Reliance on the internet for social interactivity has increased immensely over the years. This is particularly the case for most youth, who use cyberspace for social networking. For example, Maczewski (2002) notes that, majority of American kids, aged between 12 and 17, use the internet to interact socially with others. Despite the numerous advantages associated with internet use, there are uses likely to cause harm, such as cyber bullying. Even though, virtually any kid is vulnerable, gay adolescents are principal subjects of mockery and verbal attacks hence social stigmatization and consequent suicidal thoughts or behaviour. Substance Abuse and Depression Most young individuals who suffer from clinical depression or those that abuse alcohol and/or other drugs do not necessarily try to die by committing suicide. Nevertheless, these two factors are critical suicide risk factors among individuals of all gender identities, ages and sexual orientations. Among the gay youth, suicidal thoughts and actual suicide are mainly linked to cases of acute depression. Discrimination in Schools According to research conducted by Elze (2003), more than 60% of gay research subjects indicated the negative feelings they developed of themselves, owing to the depressing experiences at school relating to their sexual orientation. Some of the respondents described incidents of being bullied, verbal abuse, physical attacks and banishment from social groups. These are highly detrimental factors, since victims not only become socially isolated, but may also drop out of school completely. For fear of discrimination and abuse, gay youth end up concealing their identity, inhibiting development, as described earlier in the discussion. It is rather worrying that, as suggested by Elze (2003), teachers or other authority figures at school may be responsible for this stigmatization. As a result of lack or inadequacy of openly gay tutors, to act as possible role models for gay youths, accentuates the homophobic atmosphere in most schools. Additionally, failure to address gay related issues in open school forums, just like heterosexuality is discussed, serves to show that this is a concern the authorities appear to be keeping invisible. This also shows that many people associate homosexuality with disgrace, a factor that further increases susceptibility of gay adolescents to suicide risk. Prejudice from Friends and Religious communities Just like prejudice and social stigma from family members, discrimination of victims by close friends is equally harmful. Losing close friends not lowers the self-esteem of gay youngsters, but it makes them feel like they are not equal to their heterosexual counterparts. Even though such a gay victim of social stigma may make new friends, losing old friends is largely detrimental since such connections may have been forged in the course of development. This is, therefore, a major setback in the transition to adulthood and it may evoke suicidal ideation in a victim. On the other hand, discrimination of gay youth by religious communities may deprive them of an opportunity to develop spiritually like their heterosexual counterparts, who are considered to be morally upright and socially acceptable based on religion standards. As a result, the gay individuals cannot use spiritual guidance to cope with worldly challenges, and they end up attempting suicide, or actually killing themselves (Lebson, 2002). Recommendations There are numerous strategies that can be executed to curb gay adolescent suicide including: Implementation of training programs for all members of school staff to efficiently serve gay youth through response and recognition such as that, accorded to heterosexual adolescents. Evaluation of youth services and making sure that both services and service providers have no prejudice against gay youth, meaning that all services should be inclusive. Formulating and executing support programs for gay youth, primarily comprising of the adolescents’ peers. Incorporating subjects of dealing with discrimination, stress and social stigma, into life skills programs, in order to empower gay adolescents and enable them to overcome their self-hate, while improving their self-confidence. Supporting school staff overall support for gay youth. Incorporating programs aimed at helping gay youth, as well as, their close family relatives all through the disclosure phase of a youngster’s sexual orientation, development of identity, and people’s awareness. Such programs should seek to help young kids and teenagers. Advocate for social organizations which offer support to gay youth, like Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) and Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA). Conclusion Evident from the discussion, the immense risk posed by suicidal thoughts and conduct to gay adolescents is a combined result of the modern social environment, largely characterized by stigma and discrimination. The risk factors of suicidal ideation among the gay youngsters are linked to: poor identity development, isolation, mental ailments, stressful relations with friends and family, as well as, victimization by diverse community members. The impact of resultant stress increases in magnitude because; many organizations and individual professionals responsible for youth affairs do not account for gay youths’ needs when formulating strategies to deal with adolescents’ crises. For these reasons, effective strategies to deal with the gay adolescent problem should seek to reduce social stigmatization of these individuals. This would not only help the gay teenagers to survive, but also enable them to grow healthily, productively, and in a dynamic manner, just like the heterosexual youth, eventually empowering their respective communities. References Elze, D. (2003). Gay, lesbian and bisexual youths’ perceptions of their high school environment and comfort in school. Children and Schools, 25(4): 225-238. Kitts, R. (2005). Gay adolescents and suicide: Understanding the association. Adolescence, 40(159): 622-628. Kulkin, H., Chauvin, E., & Percle, G. (2000). Suicide among gay and lesbian adolescents and young adults: A review of the literature. Journal of Homosexuality, 40(1): 1-29. Lebson, M. (2002). Suicide among homosexual youths. Journal of Homosexuality, 42(4): 107-117. Maczewski, M. (2002). Exploring identities through the Internet: Youth experiences online. Child and Youth Care Forum, 31(2):111-129. Read More