A two-year Trevor Project study finds modest declines in self-harm and suicide attempts among LGBTQ+ young people, while houselessness, victimisation and conversion therapy threats sharply increase risk.
A new two-year analysis from The Trevor Project suggests that while mental health risks remain alarmingly high among LGBTQ+ young people in the United States, some of the most acute outcomes have eased slightly over time.
The study, called Project SPARK, followed 1,689 LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 24 nationwide beginning in September 2023, with participants surveyed every six months. The organisation said the latest round of data, collected in March, shows that anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts remain widespread, but self-harm and suicide attempts declined somewhat over the first two years of the research.
Even so, the report points to several factors that appear to sharply worsen risk. Youth who experienced houselessness in the previous year were more than twice as likely to report self-harm and suicidal ideation, and that share rose from 7% at the one-year mark to 13% by the two-year point. The Trevor Project also found that gender identity-based victimisation more than doubled the odds of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, underscoring how exposure to hostility and instability can compound existing mental health pressures.
The findings also show that threats based on sexual orientation remain common. The share of respondents reporting physical threats rose slightly to 31% over the study period, while gender-nonconforming young people reported a modest increase in gender identity-based physical threats, from 38% to 41%. Researchers said neither change was statistically significant, but the pattern still points to persistent exposure to violence and intimidation.
One of the most troubling findings concerned conversion therapy, the discredited practice aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. According to The Trevor Project, young people who were exposed to or threatened with conversion therapy had nearly three times the odds of suicidal ideation. The share who said they had been threatened with the practice rose from 12% to 22% over the two-year period, while those who said they had actually been subjected to it increased from 9% to 16%.
The results land amid a broader national debate over LGBTQ+ youth protections. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says LGBTQ+ young people face higher rates of poor mental health, suicidal thoughts and violence, with stigma and discrimination contributing to those disparities. At the same time, the Human Rights Campaign has reported that transgender and gender-expansive youth are especially likely to describe poor mental health, and that many young people who need therapy still cannot access it. For advocates, the latest Project SPARK findings reinforce a familiar message: supportive homes, affirming spaces and accessible care remain crucial protective factors.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
