Minority Stress and Suicidal Behavior: Investigating a Protective Model Through Resilience in a Bisexual Sample

Suicidal behaviors are a serious public health concern in the bisexual community. Protective models are needed to guide culturally informed methods of prevention. The current study evaluated the moderating effects of resilience and mental health status on the relationship between minority stress and suicidal behaviors. Data were collected from a convenience sample of bisexuals (N = 200). Results reveal a complex pattern of findings. Resilience moderates the relationship between minority stress and suicidal behaviors for bisexual community members with a reported mental health diagnosis; at moderate levels of resilience, a score of 15 on the Brief Resilience Scale, the relationship between minority stress and suicidal behaviors is nullified. Alternatively, resilience was not revealed as a significant moderator among bisexual community members without a mental health diagnosis. These findings provide preliminary evidence for resilience as a buffer against suicide for bisexual community members with mental health difficulties.