Grant: Project Grant

There is growing evidence that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals suffer from significantly greater risk of suicide-related behaviours (SRB) compared to the general population. However, LGB suicidal risk and quality of care is under-researched in Canada and worldwide. Current studies typically use convenience samples and solely rely on self-reported data, which leads to limited generalizability and survival bias (i.e. only survivors can participate in surveys). As a result, we currently lack population-based estimates of the SRB disparity by sexual orientation based on clinical & mortality data. Our project will fill this evidentiary gap using a large population-based retrospective cohort study with validated clinical and mortality measures (through linked health administrative datasets), providing the strong evidence that are vitally important for prioritising the funding of programs to reduce LGB suicidal behaviours. Our project will also address the lack of research on the quality of care of LGB people who suffer from SRB, which is an important factor in preventing further suicidal behaviours. The LGB population suffers from unique mental health challenges due to discrimination and uneven distribution of LGB-specific stressors/resources, which the dominant biomedical research paradigm does not adequately address. Our proposed study addresses these gaps by generating and testing hypotheses on the socio-environmental determinants of LGB SRB risk and care. Using longitudinal clinical, mortality, and geospatial data, our project will answer the following research questions: 1) Are there differences in the prevalence of SRB by sexual orientation in the Canadian context? And if so, do socio-environmental factors influence the SRB disparity by sexual orientation? 2)Does the quality of care for those at risk of SRB differ by sexual orientation? And if so, are there geographical variations in the disparities?