Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students

This study aimed to investigate the association between protective factors, marijuana use, and suicidal behavior among Black LGBQ U.S. adolescents. Methods: A subsample of 991 Black LGBQ adolescents was derived from the 2019 Combined High School YRBSS dataset. Suicidal behavior was measured as suici...

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Main Authors: DeKeitra Griffin, Shawndaya S. Thrasher, Keith J. Watts, Philip Baiden, Elaine M. Maccio, Miya Tate
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/5/267
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author DeKeitra Griffin
Shawndaya S. Thrasher
Keith J. Watts
Philip Baiden
Elaine M. Maccio
Miya Tate
author_facet DeKeitra Griffin
Shawndaya S. Thrasher
Keith J. Watts
Philip Baiden
Elaine M. Maccio
Miya Tate
author_sort DeKeitra Griffin
collection DOAJ
description This study aimed to investigate the association between protective factors, marijuana use, and suicidal behavior among Black LGBQ U.S. adolescents. Methods: A subsample of 991 Black LGBQ adolescents was derived from the 2019 Combined High School YRBSS dataset. Suicidal behavior was measured as suicidal planning and/or previous suicide attempts. Marijuana usage gauged lifetime consumption. The protective factors included sports team participation, physical activity, eating breakfast, hours of sleep, and academic performance. Age and sex were entered as covariates. Multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) was used to address missing data, and pooled binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Academic performance and hours of sleep were significantly associated with lower odds of suicidal behavior and lifetime marijuana use. Sports team participation was associated with higher odds of lifetime marijuana use. Being female was linked to higher odds of marijuana use, while older age was associated with lower odds. Discussion: For Black LGBQ youth, academic performance and sufficient sleep may function as protective factors. Participating in sports was associated with greater odds of risk behaviors, highlighting the need to assess the experiences of Black LGBQ youth in sports. Implications and Contributions: Our findings inform school programming, policy, and practice by identifying academic support and sleep health as intervention areas.
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spelling doaj-art-e3fd61d2f5114e538687b859936997b02025-08-20T03:12:12ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-04-0114526710.3390/socsci14050267Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School StudentsDeKeitra Griffin0Shawndaya S. Thrasher1Keith J. Watts2Philip Baiden3Elaine M. Maccio4Miya Tate5School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USASchool of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACollege of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USASchool of Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USASchool of Social Work, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USASchool of Social Work, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USAThis study aimed to investigate the association between protective factors, marijuana use, and suicidal behavior among Black LGBQ U.S. adolescents. Methods: A subsample of 991 Black LGBQ adolescents was derived from the 2019 Combined High School YRBSS dataset. Suicidal behavior was measured as suicidal planning and/or previous suicide attempts. Marijuana usage gauged lifetime consumption. The protective factors included sports team participation, physical activity, eating breakfast, hours of sleep, and academic performance. Age and sex were entered as covariates. Multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) was used to address missing data, and pooled binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Academic performance and hours of sleep were significantly associated with lower odds of suicidal behavior and lifetime marijuana use. Sports team participation was associated with higher odds of lifetime marijuana use. Being female was linked to higher odds of marijuana use, while older age was associated with lower odds. Discussion: For Black LGBQ youth, academic performance and sufficient sleep may function as protective factors. Participating in sports was associated with greater odds of risk behaviors, highlighting the need to assess the experiences of Black LGBQ youth in sports. Implications and Contributions: Our findings inform school programming, policy, and practice by identifying academic support and sleep health as intervention areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/5/267Black LGBQ adolescentssuicidalitysubstance useprotective factors
spellingShingle DeKeitra Griffin
Shawndaya S. Thrasher
Keith J. Watts
Philip Baiden
Elaine M. Maccio
Miya Tate
Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
Social Sciences
Black LGBQ adolescents
suicidality
substance use
protective factors
title Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
title_full Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
title_fullStr Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
title_full_unstemmed Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
title_short Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
title_sort protective factors for marijuana use and suicidal behavior among black lgbq u s high school students
topic Black LGBQ adolescents
suicidality
substance use
protective factors
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/5/267
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