Violence against women and suicide risk: the neglected impact of same-sex sexual behaviour

Abstract

We used data from the National Survey on Violence against Women in France carried out in 2000 on a representative sample of 6,970 women to compare the social characteristics of women who had sex with women (WSW) and women who had sex only with men (WSM). The WSW were more likely to be of a high socio-economic level and living in large cities. They were more frequently unmarried, without children, and had a more diverse sexual life, generally beginning younger, with more partners, mainly men. They were also more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs. WSW reported more physical violence in the recent past and more suicide attempts than WSM, despite a lack of difference in psychological distress and stress. These results, in a field little studied in France, are consistent with international findings attesting to the difficulties faced by women in situations involving autonomy and marginality.