Intersectionality approach to suicidality

Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only.Literature on suicidality has emphasized that sexual minority individuals are more likely to experience suicidal ideations, make suicide attempts, and engage in self-harming behaviors more frequently than their heterosexual peers. Multiple suicide risk factors such as peer victimization and lower school belonging have been associated with increased risk and are more prominent among sexual minorities. Guided by Meyer’s Minority Stress Theory (2003) and Joiner’s Interpersonal-psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior (2005), this exploratory study utilized Classification and Regression Tree Analysis (CART) to examine the relationships of intersecting identities and suicide risk factors among a nationally representative sample of high school students. Findings demonstrated relationships between intersecting identities of sexual minority status and sex with respect to predicting depressive symptoms and suicidality. Furthermore, analyses showed interactions between peer victimization-related suicide risk factors and safety concerns at school. Recommendations to address these concerns in schools and implications for future studies are discussed.Department of Educational PsychologyThesis (Ph. D.