Abstract: Relationships between Internalized Stigma and Depression and Suicide Risk Among Queer Youth in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Society for Social Work and Research 28th Annual Conference - Recentering & Democratizing Knowledge: The Next 30 Years of Social Work Science)

Schedule:

Friday, January 12, 2024

Marquis BR Salon 13, ML 2 (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Denise Yookong Williams, MSW, Doctoral Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC

William Hall, PhD, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Hayden Dawes, MSW, Research Associate, PhD Candidate, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ankur Srivastava, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Spenser Radtke, MSW, Graduate Research Assistant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Wan-Ting Chen, MS, Doctoral student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Jeremy Goldbach, PhD, Masters & Johnson Distinguished Professor of Sexual Health and Education, Washington University in Saint Louis, MO

Background: Queer youth experience high rates of depression and suicidality. These disparities stem from stigma-based stressors, including internalized stigma (i.e., negative social views that minoritized individuals internalize about their own identity). Given the importance of this factor in understanding mental health disparities among queer youth, we completed a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the relationships between internalized stigma and outcomes of depression and suicide risk (i.e., suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, non-suicidal self-injury).

Methods: We followed the PRISMA standards. Six bibliographic databases were searched for studies in the United States from 2008 to 2022. Dual independent screening of search results was performed based on a priori inclusion criteria.

Results: A total of 22 studies were included for data extraction and review. Most studies examined general internalized homophobia, with few examining internalized biphobia or transphobia. Many studies examined depression as an outcome, few studies examined suicidal ideation or behavior, and no studies examined non-suicidal self-injury. Meta-analyses model results show the association between general internalized queer stigma and depressive symptoms ranged r = 0.21, 95% CI [0.16, 0.25] to r = 0.25, 95% CI [0.21, 0.30], the latter reflecting more uniform measures of depression. The association between internalized transphobia and depressive outcomes was small and positive (r = 0.21, 95% CI [-0.24, 0.67]). General internalized queer stigma and suicidal ideation had a very weak positive association (r = 0.07, 95% CI [-0.27, 0.41]) and an even smaller, weaker positive association with suicide attempt (r = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03]).

Conclusions and Implications: Implications for clinical practice, policy, and future research are discussed.