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. 2019 Oct 16;4(1):226-246.
doi: 10.1089/trgh.2019.0009. eCollection 2019.

Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Transgender Adults in Relation to Education, Ethnicity, and Income: A Systematic Review

Noah J Adams  1 , Ben Vincent  2
Affiliations

Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Transgender Adults in Relation to Education, Ethnicity, and Income: A Systematic Review

Noah J Adams et al. Transgend Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: This systematic review assessed the impact of race/ethnicity, education, and income on transgender individual's lifetime experience of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (SITB) in gray and published literature (1997-2017). Methods: Sixty four research projects (108 articles) were identified in WorldCat, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Articles were included if they were published in Canada or the United States, included original quantifiable data on transgender SITBs, and had ≥5 participants, at least 51% of whom were ≥18 years. Results: Across all projects suicide ideation averaged 46.55% and attempts averaged 27.19%. The majority of participants were Caucasian, whereas the highest rate of suicide attempts (55.31%) was among First Nations, who accounted for <1.5% of participants. Caucasians, by contrast, had the lowest attempt rate (36.80%). More participants obtained a bachelor's degree and fewer an associate or technical degree than any other level of education. Suicide attempts were highest among those with ≤some high school (50.70%) and lowest among those with an advanced degree (30.25%). More participants made an income of $20-$50,000/year and less $10-$20,000 than any other income bracket. Conclusion: SITBs, among the transgender population, are both universally high and impacted by race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and income. These findings may be useful in creating culturally and factually informed interventions for transgender individuals experiencing SITBs and in informing future research on this topic.

Keywords: gender identity; health disparities; mental health; minority stress; suicide; transgender/transsexual.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

<b>FIG. 1.</b>
FIG. 1.
PRISMA Chart.
<b>FIG. 2.</b>
FIG. 2.
Transgender race/ethnicity versus US Census data. Figures in parenthesis specify the number of individual studies used in the calculation of transgender race/ethnicity.
<b>FIG. 3.</b>
FIG. 3.
Lifetime transgender suicide attempts according to race/ethnicity. Figures in parenthesis specify the number of individual studies used in the calculation of suicide attempts specific to transgender race/ethnicity.
<b>FIG. 4.</b>
FIG. 4.
Transgender educational attainment versus US Census data. Figures in parenthesis specify the number of individual studies used in the calculation of transgender educational attainment.
<b>FIG. 5.</b>
FIG. 5.
Lifetime transgender suicide attempts according to educational attainment. Figures in parenthesis specify the number of individual studies used in the calculation of suicide attempts specific to transgender educational attainment.
<b>FIG. 6.</b>
FIG. 6.
Transgender yearly income versus US Census data. Figures in parenthesis specify the number of individual studies used in the calculation of transgender income.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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