Ci a ion: Sánchez-Te uel, D.;
López-To ecillas, F.; Robles-Bello,
M.A.; Valencia-Na anjo, N.J.
P o ec i e and Risk Fac o s o
Suicidal Beha iou in Sel -Decla ed
LGBTIQ+ Adolescen s. Beha . Sci.
2024,14, 422. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3390/bs14050422
Academic Edi o : Xiaochun Xie
Recei ed: 2 May 2024
Re ised: 16 May 2024
Accep ed: 17 May 2024
Published: 18 May 2024
Copy igh : © 2024 by he au ho s.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
This a icle is an open access a icle
dis ibu ed unde he e ms and
condi ions o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion (CC BY) license (h ps://
c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/
4.0/).
beha io al
sciences
A icle
P o ec i e and Risk Fac o s o Suicidal Beha iou in
Sel -Decla ed LGBTIQ+ Adolescen s
Da id Sánchez-Te uel 1,2 , F ancisca López-To ecillas 1, Ma ía Auxiliado a Robles-Bello 3,*
and Nie es J. Valencia-Na anjo 3
1Depa men o Pe sonali y, Assessmen and Psychological T ea men , Facul y o Psychology,
Uni e si y o G anada, 18012 G anada, Spain; ds e uel@ug .es (D.S.-T.); calopez@ug .es (F.L.-T.)
2Spanish Socie y o Suicidology, 28015 Mad id, Spain
3Psychology Depa men , Uni e si y o Jaen, 23071 Jaen, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: ma [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac :
Backg ound: Adolescen s who iden i y as sexual mino i ies o en ace social s igma isa ion,
which can lead o inc eased ad e si y and a highe isk o suicidal beha iou s. Howe e , he e a e
also p o ec i e ac o s ha may p omo e esilience o hese isk beha iou s. This s udy aims o
iden i y ac o s ha p edic esilience in sexual mino i y adolescen s wi h high suicidal ulne abili y.
Me hods: The s udy sample comp ised 78 sel - epo ed LGBTIQ+ adolescen s aged be ween 13 and
18 yea s old (M = 16.11, SD = 1.56) who had p e iously a emp ed suicide. They comple ed se e al
psychosocial ins umen s o measu e isk and p o ec i e a iables ela ed o suicidal ulne abili y.
Resul s: En apmen was ound o be he mos p edic i e isk a iable o suicide a emp s. Howe e ,
p o ec i e a iables p omo ing esilience we e also ound, such as adequa e pa en al communica ion,
li e sa is ac ion, and cogni i e e aming. Discussion: The indings ela ed o p e en ion o suicide
a emp s a e discussed and we highligh he u gen need o enhance ce ain in e nal and con ex-
ual p o ec i e ac o s o p omo e esilience in he ace o suicidal ulne abili y in ce ain clinical
subpopula ions exposed o highly ad e se si ua ions.
Keywo ds: suicidal beha iou ; adolescen s; LGBTIQ+; en apmen ; esilience
1. In oduc ion
In ecen yea s, he isk o suicide in sel -iden i ied lesbian, gay, bisexual, ansgende ,
in e sex, quee , and o he sexual mino i ies (hence o h LGBTIQ+) [
1
] has been he subjec
o inc eased scien i ic conce n because o i s s ong associa ion wi h suicidal beha iou [
2
].
The a e o suicide in LGBTIQ+ people in mos coun ies is unknown, bu iden i ying wi h
a sexual iden i y o o ien a ion o he han he e ono ma i e is gene ally es ima ed o be
associa ed wi h an inc eased isk o a emp ed suicide, especially in adolescen s and young
adul s [
3
,
4
]; howe e , i is people who sel -iden i y as ansgende who epo a highe
p e alence o suicide a emp s [5].
The scien i ic li e a u e p o ides in o ma ion on mul iple isk ac o s associa ed wi h
sel -ha m in adolescen s and young people in he gene al popula ion [
6
,
7
]. Howe e , ew
s udies ha e assessed isk ac o s (social isola ion, low sel -es eem and subs ance abuse,
dep ession, anxie y o s ess) ela ed o suicidal beha iou s in sel - epo ed LGBTIQ+
adolescen s [
3
,
8
,
9
]. I has been sugges ed ha hese adolescen s and young people may
conclude ha hey do no ha e iable solu ions o deal wi h some o he social ad e si ies
hey a e exposed o because o hei sexual iden i y o o ien a ion, so hey de elop a eeling
o “en apmen ” o helplessness [
10
]. In 69 coun ies, non-he e ono ma i e iden i y o
o ien a ion is c iminalised, pe cei ing he di e ence as a emendous bu den [
1
,
3
]. These
ad e si ies can lead o s igma isa ion and disc imina ion [
11
], as well as expe iences o
amily ejec ion, bullying o cybe bullying, in imida ion, and abuse [
3
], especially in he
absence o ea ly adul suppo [
12
]. The esul may be o conside suicidal idea ion as a
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/bs14050422 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/beha sci
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 2 o 12
iable al e na i e ha may lead o suicide a emp s [
13
]. Such hinking can be in e up ed
when p o ec i e ac o s a e a ailable; namely, by minimising he isk o limi ing he pe son’s
conclusion ha he e a e no solu ions o ad e se si ua ions [
14
]. Focusing exclusi ely on
he s udy o isk ac o s is limi ing [
15
,
16
], o e s a biased iew o eali y, and does no
p o ide he necessa y ools o c ea e e ec i e suicide p e en ion s a egies [
17
]. Thus,
cu en app oaches sugges add essing bo h isk and p o ec i e ac o s ha may p omo e
g ea e esilience o suicide [
18
]. This is because he e a e many people who p esen isk
ac o s ha p omo e high ulne abili y bu who do no engage in suicidal beha iou and
exhibi a high le el o esilience o his and associa ed beha iou s [16,19–21].
Suicide esilience includes a se o skills, esou ces, and compe ences ha enable he
egula ion o hough s, eelings, and a i udes owa ds suicide [
22
]. P o ec i e ac o s
may include pe sonal cha ac e is ics (e.g., posi i e belie s and eelings abou onesel and
sa is ac ion wi h one’s li e); ex e nal esou ces (e.g., belie s and eelings ha help is a ailable
in complex si ua ions o in he ace o suicidal idea ion); and achie emen o emo ional
s abili y (e.g., posi i e belie s abou he abili y o egula e nega i e emo ions in si ua ions
ha ac as s esso s). Se e al p o ec i e ac o s ha p omo e esilience o suicidal beha iou
ha e been obse ed in LGTBIQ+ adolescen s and young people [23].
In his ega d, social suppo is a modula ing a iable ha has a posi i e e ec on
emo ional well-being and men al heal h in hese g oups [
24
]. To o e al. [
25
] a gue ha
people belonging o his g oup need s ong social suppo o os e pe sonal iden i y, and,
in addi ion, his iden i y helps o achie e bo h sho - and long- e m goals, whe he pe sonal
o social. Social suppo dec eases he eac i i y o p ejudice in socie y [
26
] (Hall, 2018), i.e.,
ha ing suppo i e people o coun on helps LGTBIQ+ people ensu e ha exis ing p ejudices
do no ha e a nega i e impac on hei li es and do no p oduce nega i e consequences
o psychopa hology [
27
]. O he s udies ha e also no ed ha social suppo , whe he
om iends, amily, school, o communi y, plays an essen ial ole in he de elopmen o
esilience in LGTBIQ+ people [
28
,
29
]. Wi hin social suppo , amily suppo is pa icula ly
impo an , and ce ain beha iou s ha os e a ec ion and communica ion in amilies
o sexual mino i y you h ha e been ound o be a s ong p edic o o psychological and
emo ional well-being and esilience, as well as a p o ec i e ac o o men al dis ess [
30
].
Howe e , i appea s ha many o hese p o ec i e a iables ha e no been measu ed in he
LGTBIQ+ di e se popula ion, le alone assessed in ela ion o esilience. Fu he mo e, his
ype o p o ec i e a iable has ne e been ela ed o a a iable ha has been epo ed o
be equally p o ec i e, such as eapp aisal [
23
,
31
], jus as he e ha e been ew app oaches
o s udying he a iable emo ional sel - egula ion oge he wi h suicidal beha iou in his
g oup [
32
], despi e i appea ing o be an impo an ac o in suicidal beha iou in he
gene al adolescen popula ion [33].
The e o e, i is concei able ha demog aphic and psychosocial ac o s ha may in-
luence suicidal ulne abili y and esilience o suicide a emp s in LGBTIQ+ adolescen s
and young people a e s ill unknown. Consequen ly, he aim o ou s udy is o de e -
mine he ac o s ha can p edic isk and esilience in hese adolescen s wi h p e ious
suicide a emp s. We migh hypo hesise no only isk a iables associa ed wi h suicidal
beha iou —associa ed
wi h anxie y and dep ession, nega i e expe iences in he school
and amily con ex — ha may a y depending on he ype o sexual o ien a ion; he e may
also be p o ec i e a iables ha will p edic a esilien ou come o suicidal beha iou in his
g oup o people—good le els o epo ed psychosocial well-being, adequa e communica-
ion in he amily en i onmen , good emo ional egula ion, and posi i e le els o cogni i e
eapp aisal in he ace o li e ad e si ies a his s age o de elopmen .
2. Ma e ials and Me hods
2.1. Pa icipan s
The ini ial sample consis ed o 162 adolescen s wi h he ollowing inclusion c i e ia:
(1) Aged be ween 10 and 19 yea s old (acco ding o he concep ualisa ion o adolescence by
he Wo ld Heal h O ganisa ion [
34
]); (2) Residing in Spain; (3) Sel -decla ed as LGBTIQ+;
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 3 o 12
(4) One o mo e p e ious suicide a emp s (las yea ) (I em 4 o he Ask Suicide-Sc eening
Ques ions-ASQ sho scale by Ho owi z e al. [
35
]); (5) Subjec s and pa en s o gua dians
ha e ead he s udy in o ma ion shee and signed hei in o med consen . (6) Pa en s o
gua dians had o p o ide an email add ess along wi h hei child’s ini ials. The inal sample
consis ed o 78 adolescen s aged 13–18 (M = 16.11; SD = 1.56), 41–52.6% sel - epo ed
as emale, 33–42.3% as male, and 4–5.1% did no iden i y hei gende (Table 1). All
pa icipan s and a leas one pa en o gua dian ga e consen . The s udy was e iewed
and app o ed by he Resea ch E hics Commi ee o a public uni e si y in sou he n Spain
(Code: ABR.20/4.PRY) and all p o ocols ou lined in he 1964 Helsinki decla a ion and i s
subsequen amendmen s we e ollowed [36].
Table 1. Demog aphic da a o he sample.
To al (%) χ2d. . Phi
Sel - epo ed sexual o ien a ion 11.31 * 3 0.71
Homosexual (gay/lesbian) 43 (55.1)
Bisexual 14 (17.9)
T ansgende 13 (16.7)
In e sex/Quee 8 (10.3)
Sel - epo ed socio-economic s a us 1.11 ns 2 0.69
Low 24 (30.8)
Medium 31 (39.7)
High 23 (29.5)
Le el o comple ed educa ion 1.06 ns 2 0.72
None 13 (16.7)
P ima y Educa ion 39 (50.0)
VET/HNC/High school diploma 26 (33.3)
S ess ul si ua ion (las yea ) 67.28 ** 1 0.93
Yes 69 (88.5)
No 9 (11.5)
T igge ing si ua ion 1.37 ns 3 0.73
Bullying 38 (48.7)
Couple P oblems 13 (16.7)
Family p oblems 16 (20.5)
P oblems wi h iends 11 (14.1)
P e ious suicide a emp s (las yea ) 6.34 * 1 0.83
Only one 59 (75.6)
Two o mo e 29 (24.4)
ωASQ 0.97
To al 78 (100)
VET = Voca ional Educa ion and T aining; HNC = Ce i ica e o Highe Educa ion;
ω
ASQ = Mcdonald’s Omega
[
37
] was pe o med o I em 4 o he sho scale Ask Suicide-Sc eening Ques ions-ASQ om [
35
] Ho owi z e al.
(2012); χ2= Chi-squa e * = p< 0.05; ** = p< 0.01; ns = no signi ican ; d. . = deg ees o eedom; Phi = e ec size.
2.2. Measu es
A demog aphic ques ionnai e was adminis e ed o pa icipan s, which collec ed in-
o ma ion abou age, gende , socio-economic s a us, educa ional a ainmen , s ess ul
si ua ions expe ienced in he pas yea , igge ing si ua ions, and he numbe o p e ious
suicide a emp s.
The Emo ion Regula ion Ques ionnai e (ERQ om G oss and John [
38
], adap ed o
he Spanish popula ion by Cabello e al. [
39
]). This es p o ides a en-i em assessmen
o emo ion egula ion, a ed on a scale om 1 (s ongly disag ee) o 7 (s ongly ag ee).
I has wo subdimensions: cogni i e eapp aisal, which in ol es modi ying emo ional
eac ions o al e he emo ional expe ience, and exp essi e supp ession, which in ol es
e alua ing changes in emo ional exp ession and hiding emo ions wi hou modi ying hem.
The Spanish e sion o he scale has a compa able s uc u e o he o iginal and demons a es
adequa e psychome ic p ope ies, as epo ed by Cabello e al. [39].
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 4 o 12
The Reapp aisal Index (RI), de eloped by F i z [
31
], was adap ed o a Spanish popu-
la ion wi h homosexual o ien a ion by Lo abi e al. [
23
] o di e en ia e be ween indi iduals
who can posi i ely e-e alua e s ess ul e en s and hose who canno . The RI measu es a
pe son’s capaci y o shi one’s pe spec i e on a challenging si ua ion owa ds a mo e posi-
i e o less nega i e pe cep ion o i . Lo abi e al. ound ha a Like - ype esponse scale
wi h nine i ems anging om ‘1 = ne e /no a all’ o ‘5 = always/many imes’ exhibi ed
sa is ac o y psychome ic p ope ies in he Spanish homosexual popula ion.
The Lubben Social Ne wo k Scale-6 (LSNS-6) is a educed e sion o he o iginal
scale de eloped by Lubben [
40
] and he sho e sion by Lubben e al. [
41
], measu ing
pe cei ed social suppo . I was ansla ed and adap ed o he Spanish popula ion by
Fe nández-Balles e os, Reig, and Zama ón [
42
]. The scale consis s o six i ems, each wi h
six esponse op ions anging om ‘0 = none’ o ‘5 = nine o mo e people’. The Spanish
e sion o he scale demons a ed adequa e psychome ic p ope ies [
42
]. O he s udies in
Spain ha e also demons a ed i s me hodological sui abili y o measu ing social suppo
in he a e ma h o ad e se si ua ions [43].
The Psychological Well-being Scale (PWS) was de eloped by [
44
] Sánchez-Cáno as.
The comple e scale consis s o six y- i e i ems di ided in o ou subscales, bu only he
subjec i e well-being subscale was used in he p esen s udy. This subscale measu es
sa is ac ion wi h li e, as well as posi i e and nega i e a ec . I consis s o en Like - ype
i ems wi h alues anging om 1 (ne e o almos ne e ) o 5 (always).
The Scale o E alua ing Pa en al Educa ional S yle Towa ds Adolescen s-SEPES, om
Oli a, Pa a, Sánchez-Queija, and López [
45
], consis s o o y-one i ems. Responden s a e
each i em on a Like scale anging om 1 (comple ely disag ee) o 6 (comple ely ag ee).
The i ems a e g ouped in o six dimensions: a ec ion and communica ion, p omo ion o
au onomy, beha iou al con ol, psychological con ol, disclosu e, and humou . In his
s udy, we only used he a ec and communica ion sub-dimension, consis ing o eigh i ems
ha measu e he exp ession o suppo and a ec ion om pa en s, hei a ailabili y, and
he luency o communica ion.
The En apmen Scale Sho -Fo m (E-SF) by [
46
] De Beu s e al. was adap ed o
Spanish by O dóñez-Ca asco e al. [
47
] o measu e en apmen in indi iduals a high isk
o suicide. En apmen is de ined as he a emp o escape om unbea able si ua ions o
nega i e hough s ha cause g ea su e ing. The scale is based on he o iginal six een-i em
scale by Gilbe and Allan [
48
] and consis s o ou i ems ha a e answe ed using a i e-
poin o ma (0 = ‘no a all like me’, 4 = ‘ex emely like me’). The eliabili y o he ex ended
e sion in he Spanish samples was 0.97, acco ding o O dóñez-Ca asco e al. [47].
The Dep ession, Anxie y and S ess Scale (DASS-21) by [
49
] An ony e al. was adap ed
o a sample o he Spanish-speaking clinical popula ion by Daza e al. [
50
]. I consis s
o wen y-one i ems—sp ead ac oss 3 subscales, each wi h 7 i ems—using a Like - ype
o ma wi h 4 ca ego ies ( anging om 0 = ‘no applicable o me a all’ o 3 = ‘applies o me
e y much o mos o he ime’). The assessmen measu es dep ession by e alua ing as-
pec s ela ed o low posi i e a ec such as dyspho ia, hopelessness, sadness, o anhedonia.
Anxie y is e alua ed by assessing aspec s ela ed o psychophysiological ac i a ion o au o-
nomic a ousal, and s ess measu es di icul y in elaxa ion, ne ous exci emen , agi a ion,
i i abili y, and impa ience. The eliabili y le el was simila o he English e sion.
The Suicidal Beha iou Assessmen Scale (SENTIA b ie ) by Díez-Gómez e al. [
51
]
measu es isk ac o -based suicidal ulne abili y in Spanish adolescen s using i e dicho o-
mous (yes/no) i ems. I has h ee subdimensions: suicidal ac /planning (5, 3), suicidal
communica ion (4), and suicidal idea ion (1, 2). In his s udy, only he i s ou i ems we e
used o assess suicidal ulne abili y. In i s o iginal e sion, his measu e showed no gende
a iabili y, and i s eliabili y was high (omega = 0.97).
The Resilience Scale o Suicide A emp s (SRSA-18 Adolescen s and You h) by
Sánchez-Te uel e al. [
15
] measu es esilience o suicide and p edic s u u e suicide a -
emp s. The scale consis s o eigh een i ems, classi ied in o h ee sub-dimensions: in e nal
p o ec ion, emo ional s abili y, and ex e nal p o ec ion, wi h esponses gi en on a Like -
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 5 o 12
ype scale ( anging om 0—ne e o 4—always). I p esen s high co ela ions wi h o he
scales measu ing esilience in s ess ul si ua ions [
52
,
53
] (14-i em Resilience Scale-RS-14 and
CD-RISC-25-Conno and Da idson Resilience Scale) and esilience o suicidal idea ion [
22
].
2.3. P ocedu e
This s udy was app o ed by he esea ch e hics commi ee o he uni e si y o one o
he au ho s. Con enience sampling was conduc ed. Following specialised aining abou
suicide in adolescen s and young people, p o essionals om Educa ional Guidance Teams,
as well as school and high school managemen s a , we e sen a de ailed explana ion o he
s udy and we e asked o collabo a e. Those in e es ed in pa icipa ing, who we e he same
people who ecei ed he aining, we e emailed an online link o a Google Fo m. The link
was also sha ed h ough social media pla o ms such as Facebook, X ( o me ly Twi e ),
and digi al communica ion ools such as Wha sApp and Teleg am. Pa icipa ion in he
s udy was olun a y, and he adolescen s had o explici ly exp ess hei desi e o pa icipa e
in he s udy, as well as ob ain consen om pa en s o gua dians. To access he es s, he
adolescen s had o p o ide an email add ess o one o bo h pa en s o gua dians. Pa en s
could eques speci ic in o ma ion abou hei child en’s esul s a e hei pa icipa ion
in he s udy. Du ing da a collec ion, a high suicidal ulne abili y was obse ed in h ee
pa icipan s, so he i s au ho o his s udy con ac ed he pa en s by email and la e
by ideocon e ence.
2.4. Da a Analysis
Desc ip i e analyses we e conduc ed on all a iables o de e mine co ela ion and
signi icance le els. Subsequen ly, mul iple linea eg ession was applied o de e mine
which a iables p edic ed high le els o esilience in his sample. Addi ionally, ins u-
men eliabili y was measu ed using he Omega coe icien [
37
], which is no a ec ed by
he numbe o i ems o pa icipan s [
54
]. The s a is ical analyses we e pe o med using
G*Powe [
55
–
57
], SPSS e sion 23.0, and AMOS 23. S a is ical signi icance was conside ed
when p< 0.005.
3. Resul s
Desc ip i e esul s showed low sco es on p o ec i e a iables and high sco es on isk
a iables in his sample. The eliabili y o he s udy sample was assessed using McDonald’s
Omega [37] and was adequa e on all a iables (Table 2).
Table 2. Desc ip i e esul s o he s udy a iables.
M (SD) Min–Max Skewness Ku osis ω
Emo ional Regula ion 21.5 (3.4) 10–70 0.26 0.47 0.89
Reapp aisal 14.2 (4.7) 9–45 0.51 −0.74 0.91
Social Suppo 11.6 (1.34) 0–30 0.89 1.13 0.94
Psychological Well-being 16.1 (3.2) 10–50 −1.21 0.68 0.79
Pa en al S yle 9.3 (11.2) 8–48 0.39 −0.43 0.92
En apmen 15.9 (2.6) 0–16 −0.66 0.77 0.96
Dep ession, Anxie y, and S ess 57.8 (4.1) 0–63 −0.32 0.53 0.91
Suicidal Vulne abili y 3.7 (1.2) 0–4 0.21 0.53 0.98
Resilience o Suicide A emp s 19.2 (7.2) 0–72 0.44 −0.21 0.97
M = Mean; SD = S anda d De ia ion; Emo ional Regula ion = Emo ion Regula ion Ques ionnai e-ERQ; Reapp aisal
= The Reapp aisal Index (RI); Social Suppo = The Lubben Social Ne wo k Scale-6 (LSNS-6); Psychological Well-
being = Psychological Well-being Scale (PWS); Pa en al S yle = Scale o E alua ing Pa en al Educa ional S yle
Towa ds Adolescen s-SEPES; En apmen = The En apmen Scale Sho -Fo m (E-SF); Dep ession, Anxie y, and
S ess = The Dep ession, Anxie y and S ess Scale (DASS-21); Suicidal Vulne abili y = The Suicidal Beha iou
Assessmen Scale (SENTIA b ie ); Resilience o Suicide A emp s = The Resilience Scale o Suicide A emp s
(SRSA-18 Adolescen s and You h); ω= Reliabili y.
As an icipa ed, he p o ec i e a iables exhibi ed a posi i e, signi ican co ela ion
(
p< 0.05
), while he isk a iables exhibi ed an in e se, signi ican co ela ion (Table 3).

Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 6 o 12
No ably, social suppo , and esilience demons a ed he s onges posi i e co ela ion
( = 0.98; p< 0.01), while en apmen demons a ed a s ong co ela ion wi h he le els o
dep ession, anxie y, and s ess ( = 0.99; p< 0.01). Addi ionally, he e was a s ong in e se
co ela ion be ween psychological well-being and dep ession, anxie y, and s ess ( =
−
0.98;
p< 0.01).
Table 3. Co ela ion and le el o signi icance be ween he a iables.
ERQ RI LSNS-6 PWS SEPES E-SF DASS-21 SENTIA SRSA-18
ERQ 1 0.54 * 0.68 ** 0.91 * 0.71 * −0.84 ** −0.73 ** −0.71 * 0.92 **
RI 0.54 * 1 0.83 ** 0.89 * 0.63 * −0.91 * −0.89 ** −0.65 * 0.96 **
LSNS-6 0.68 ** 0.83 ** 1 0.75 * 0.91 ** −0.83 * −0.93 ** −0.78 ** 0.98 **
PWS 0.91 * 0.89 * 0.75 * 1 0.86 ** −0.89 ** −0.98 ** −0.93 ** 0.87 **
SEPES 0.71 * 0.63 * 0.91 ** 0.86 ** 1 −0.86 ** −0.91 ** −0.84 * 0.85 **
E-SF −0.84 ** −0.91 * −0.83 * −0.89 ** −0.86 ** 1 0.89 ** 0.99 ** −0.93 **
DASS-21 −0.73 ** −0.89 ** −0.93 ** −0.98 ** −0.91 ** 0.89 ** 1 0.93 ** −0.95 **
SENTIA −0.71 * −0.65 * −0.78 ** −0.93 ** −0.84 * 0.99 ** 0.93 ** 1 −0.83 **
SRSA-18 0.92 ** 0.96 ** 0.98 ** 0.87 ** 0.85 ** −0.93 ** −0.95 ** −0.83 ** 1
ERQ = Emo ion Regula ion Ques ionnai e; RI = The Reapp aisal Index; LSNS-6 = The Lubben Social Ne wo k
Scale-6; PWS = Psychological Well-being Scale; SEPES = Scale o E alua ing Pa en al Educa ional S yle Towa ds
Adolescen s; E-SF = The En apmen Scale Sho -Fo m; DASS-21 = The Dep ession, Anxie y and S ess Scale;
SENTIA b ie = The Suicidal Beha iou Assessmen Scale; SRSA-18 = The Resilience Scale o Suicide A emp s
(Adolescen s and You h); * = Signi icance p< 0.05 (bila e al); ** = Signi icance p< 0.01 (bila e al).
P elimina y i da a o he p oposed models indica ed an adequa e le el o i [
58
].
Mo e speci ically, he p edic ion o suicidal ulne abili y (SENTIA b ie ) as an independen
a iable om he demog aphic a iables and isk ac o s demons a ed sui able indepen-
dence o e o s h ough he Du bin–Wa son (DW) es (DWsen ia = 1.93), as well as absence
o mul icollinea i y h ough he a iance in la ion ac o (VIF) (VIFsen ia = 2.84). Mo eo e ,
he wo indices o i o he model p edic ing he e ec s o demog aphic a iables and
p o ec i e ac o s on he independen a iable indica ed ha esilience (SRSA-18) also
demons a ed an adequa e i o he p o ec i e model o he da a (DWSRSA-18 = 1.97;
VIFSRSA-18 = 4.13). The esul s om he hie a chical mul iple eg ession analysis indica ed
ha some o he sociodemog aphic and p o ec i e and isk a iables could p edic he le el
o ulne abili y and esilience o suicide (Table 4). On he one hand, Model 1, consis ing o
a se o sociodemog aphic and isk a iables, was ound o be signi ican and explained
82.8% o suicidal ulne abili y in his sample (F(1, 77) = 1131.21; p< 0.01). The sociode-
mog aphic a iables ha we e mos p edic i e o suicidal ulne abili y in sel - epo ed
LGBTIQ+ adolescen s we e no ha ing comple ed school (
β
= 1.53; CI (95%) =
−
1.12–1.99;
p< 0.01), ansgende o ien a ion (
β
= 2.86; CI (95%) = 2.11–3.46; p< 0.01), and ha ing
amily p oblems (
β
= 24.13; CI (95%) = 0.82–0.91; p< 0.01). The s udy ound ha eeling
apped was he s onges p edic o o suicidal ulne abili y (
β
= 6.11 CI (95%) = 1.49–4.27;
p< 0.01), ollowed by dep ession (
β
= 3.22; CI (95%) = 1.45–2.11; p< 0.01) and anxie y
(
β
= 1.76; CI (95%) = 1.65–1.87; p< 0.01). On he o he hand, Model 2 accoun ed o
84.5% o
he a iance in he demog aphic and p o ec i e a iables ha we e mos p edic i e o
esilience o suicide (F(1, 77) = 2426.11; p< 0.01). The demog aphic a iable ha was ound
o be mos p edic i e was ha ing a homosexual o ien a ion (
β
= 4.43;
CI (95%) = 3.28–4.22;
p< 0.01). The p o ec i e ac o s associa ed wi h a highe le el o esilience o suicide
a emp s included psychosocial well-being (
β
= 9.14; CI (95%) = 8.01–9.32; p< 0.01), high
pa en al a ec i i y and communica ion (β= 9. 18; CI (95%) = 8.11–9.29; p< 0.01), posi i e
e aming o p oblems o a lesse ex en (
β
= 6.86; CI (95%) = 5.65–6.71; p< 0.01), and
adequa e emo ional egula ion (β= 5.67; CI (95%) = 2.69–3.37; p< 0.01).
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 7 o 12
Table 4.
P edic i e models o ulne abili y and esilience o suicide wi h demog aphic and psychoso-
cial isk and p o ec ion a iables.
Models and Va iables R2adj SE F βCI (95%) (β)
ϕ2
L.L. U.L.
M10.828 2.44 1131.21 ** 45.11 * 71.3
Age 0.35 −0.21 1.61
Le el o educa ion (none) 1.53 −1.12 1.99
Sel - epo ed sexual o ien a ion
( ansgende ) 2.86 2.11 3.46
T igge ing si ua ion ( amily p oblems) 4.13 0.82 0.91
Dep ession 3.22 1.45 2.11
Anxie y 1.76 1.65 1.87
En apmen 6.11 1.49 4.27
M20.845 2.86 2426.11 ** 71.11 ** 83.8
Sel - epo ed sexual o ien a ion
(homosexual) 4.43 3.28 4.22
Emo ion Regula ion 5.67 2.69 3.37
Well-being 9.14 8.01 9.32
Reapp aisal ( e aming) 6.86 5.65 6.71
A ec ion and communica ion 9.18 8.11 9.29
M1 = Risk p edic ion (SENTIA b ie ); M2 = P edic ion o p o ec ion (SRSA-18); R
2adj
= Adjus ed R-squa ed;
SE = s anda d e o
; F = es s a is ic (ANOVA); * p< 0.05, ** p< 0.01; ns = non-signi ican ; = p edic i e
a iable es s a is ic;
β
= esul o eg ession o be a equa ion; CI (95%) = con idence in e als; LL = lowe limi ;
UL = uppe limi ; ϕ2= e ec size.
4. Discussion
This s udy sough o de e mine wha isk and p o ec i e ac o s p edic ed ulne a-
bili y o esilience o suicidal beha iou in LGBTIQ+ adolescen s who had made p e ious
suicide a emp s.
P e ious s udies ha e epo ed ha Spanish LGBTQ+ adolescen s a e mo e ulne able
o suicide han adolescen s who do no belong o sexual mino i ies [
59
]. Fu he analysis
o he isk model iden i ied in his s udy shows ha emo ional dis u bances such as
eeling apped is an impo an p edic o o he isk o new suicide a emp s among
LGBTQ+ adolescen s, mo e so han anxie y and dep ession. A pe son hinking ha he
ad e se ci cums ances hey expe ience a e uncon ollable and inescapable (en apmen ) is a
concep ha o ms pa o se e al heo ies o suicide [
60
,
61
], especially ela ed o LGBTIQ+
people [14,62].
Ou s udy, like p e ious esea ch, also ound ha he amily plays a emendously
impo an ole in he suicidal beha iou o sexually di e se adolescen s and young peo-
ple [
63
]. Hence, i is essen ial o o e e ec i e communica ion s a egies o amilies o
sexually di e se adolescen s as a p ocedu e o minimise suicidal ulne abili y, especially
o ansgende adolescen s [
64
,
65
]. Along hese lines, he poin a which ansgende you h
may exhibi beha iou s ha do no con o m o hei assigned sex is well be o e he poin
a which sexual mino i y you h iden i y hei sexual o ien a ion [
66
]. Such si ua ions may
lead o mo e in ense p essu es om hei en i onmen o con o m o no ma i e endencies
o longe , s a ing a younge ages, wi h di e en ial men al heal h e ec s and highe isk
o subsequen suicide mo e likely, wi h mo e pe nicious e ec s on he ansgende sub-
g oup. This could be explained by he ac ha he suppo o one’s mos immedia e social
en i onmen (e.g., amily and iends) limi s he isk o suicidal beha iou by inc easing
le els o emo ional s abili y (e.g., seeking help om amily and iends a he i s hough s
o suicide). Ou model o esilience o suicide in his s udy iden i ied p o ec i e ac o s.
In o de o impo ance acco ding o he be a coe icien s, hey we e amily ela ionships
cha ac e ised by a ec ion and communica ion; a sense o well-being wi h a en ion o
sa is ac ion wi h li e; he abili y o e-e alua e s ess ul si ua ions; and o a lesse ex en ,
emo ional egula ion skills and a sel -de ined sexual o ien a ion as homosexual.
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 8 o 12
In his ega d, he model’s inclusion o amily ela ionships based on communica ion
and a ec ion is consis en wi h p o ec i e ac ion agains new suicide a emp s [
59
]. Family
suppo is in ol ed in he de elopmen o a well-in eg a ed sexual iden i y and he main e-
nance o op imal le els o sel -es eem, while pa en -ini ia ed a emp s o change he sexual
o ien a ion o LGTBIQ+ young people a e associa ed wi h s ong eelings o en apmen
and consequen suicide a emp s.
Ano he ac o ha may p edic p o ec ion agains suicide in adolescen s is li e sa is ac-
ion [
67
]. Ou p o ec i e model also seems o con i m i s impo ance as a p o ec i e ac o
agains suicide a emp s in LGBTIQ+ adolescen s. Howe e , he le el o li e sa is ac ion
hese people achie e may be lowe han ha iden i ied in he gene al popula ion and could
depend on he adolescen ’s sexual o ien a ion. P e ious s udies [
68
] iden i ied lowe sa is-
ac ion in gay/lesbian han he e osexual people, and e en lowe le els in bisexual people.
Including li e sa is ac ion as a p edic o o esilience o suicide in sexual mino i y you h in
ou s udy is in line wi h hese indings. Va iabili y in he s igma isa ion expe ienced by
sexual mino i ies by ype may unde lie he explana ion o hese di e ences in well-being.
Mo e speci ically, p e ious s udies [
69
] iden i ied ha li e sa is ac ion o LGTBIQ+ people
is p edic ed by app op ia e in eg a ion and ex e nalisa ion o sexual o ien a ion iden i y.
We belie e ha he p o ec i e ole o li e sa is ac ion in he suicide esilience model in ou
s udy, oge he wi h he in ol emen o posi i e amily ela ionships based on a ec ion
and communica ion ha encou age an app op ia e sexual iden i y, sugges s ha li e sa is-
ac ion may ha e a modula ing ole in he ela ionship be ween s esso s ela ed o social
s igma isa ion and suicide esilience.
In addi ion, ou s udy also highligh s he impo an con ibu ion o egula ion s a e-
gies in suicidal beha iou a e a i s a emp in LGTBIQ+ adolescen s and young people,
in line wi h he sugges ions by Siegmann e al. [
70
] Ou s udy indica es ha , he capaci y o
cogni i e eapp aisal and a ious emo ional egula ion s a egies a e in ol ed in esilience
o suicide. Cogni i e eapp aisal is an ac i e coping s a egy in which he way in which
an e en is in e p e ed is al e ed and can lead o a educ ion in he s ess esponse. I is
he e o e o en unde s ood as an adap i e s a egy by allowing modi ica ion o emo ions
and beha iou s in a s ess ul si ua ion [
38
]. I s coun e pa is emo ional supp ession, an
inapp op ia e s a egy o emo ional egula ion which a emp s o block he e en by no
add essing i o coping wi h i . Limi ed access o emo ion egula ion s a egies in LGTBIQ+
adolescen s is a signi ican p edic o o he equency and in ensi y o suicide a emp s as
an ou come [
10
,
71
]. Adolescen s who expe ience dis ess and lack egula o y s a egies
may eel helpless and/o hopeless abou hei abili y o eel be e ( eel apped), which
may lead hem o conside a i s suicide a emp as a way o escaping dis ess.
The in ol emen o sexual iden i y as homosexual in ou model o esilience o suicide
is consis en wi h sugges ions by o he au ho s [
72
,
73
] ha homosexual adolescen s—as a
subg oup in he LGTBIQ+ popula ion—expe ience lowe le els o disc imina ion, a i m
hei iden i y o a g ea e ex en , and expe ience g ea e connec edness o hei gene al social
en i onmen . Accep ance by people close o hem ( iends and amily), sel -accep ance o
belonging o a sexual mino i y along wi h g ea e social and heal h esou ces ha inc ease
he abili y o be esilien o s igma isa ion (e.g., p essu e om mains eam g oups, his is
especially ue in conse a i e he e ono ma i e cul u es [
74
]), and he abili y o be mo e
awa e o hei sexuali y oge he wi h g ea e isibili y o iden i y han less de ined o
eme ging g oups (e.g., in e sex, quee , non-bina y, gende luid and pansexual), a e all
key p o ec i e ac o s in LGTBIQ+ adolescen s ha should be conside ed in any suicide
p e en ion in e en ion wi h his g oup.
Finally, he limi a ions o his s udy a e ela ed o he di icul ies accessing samples
o LGTBIQ+ adolescen s, which is e en mo e challenging i hey ha e made p e ious
suicide a emp s. This aspec is e lec ed in he size o he sample, which could imply
me hodological p oblems ha we ha e ied o con ol o . Mo eo e , he s udy sough
o add ess a speci ic g oup using an app oach based no only on isk ac o s, bu also on
Beha . Sci. 2024,14, 422 9 o 12
p o ec i e ac o s. We hope ha his aspec will encou age o he esea che s o p o ide mo e
da a on his popula ion, which is unde ep esen ed in mos s udies on suicide a emp s.
Au ho Con ibu ions:
Concep ualisa ion, D.S.-T., M.A.R.-B. and N.J.V.-N.; Me hodology, D.S.-T.;
So wa e, D.S.-T.; Valida ion, D.S.-T. and M.A.R.-B.; Fo mal analysis, D.S.-T.; In es iga ion, D.S.-T.,
M.A.R.-B. and N.J.V.-N.; Resou ces, D.S.-T., F.L.-T., M.A.R.-B. and N.J.V.-N.; Da a cu a ion, D.S.-T.;
W i ing—o iginal d a , D.S.-T., M.A.R.-B. and N.J.V.-N.; W i ing— e iew and edi ing, D.S.-T., F.L.-T.,
M.A.R.-B. and N.J.V.-N.; Visualisa ion, M.A.R.-B.; Supe ision, F.L.-T., M.A.R.-B. and N.J.V.-N. All
au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen :
The s udy was app o ed by he E hics Commi ee o he
Uni e si y o G anada (p o ocol code ABR.20/4.PRY, 4 May 2020).
In o med Consen S a emen :
In o med consen was ob ained om all subjec s in ol ed in he s udy.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen :
The da a p esen ed in his s udy a e a ailable on eques om he
co esponding au ho . The da a a e no publicly a ailable due o p i acy o e hical es ic ions.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
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