Experiences of hospitalization for suicide ideation and suicide attempt in gender diverse adults

Introduction: This study sought to investigate general perceptions of suicide-related hospital-based care that Transgender/Gender Diverse (TGD) adults have experienced as well as correlates of their perceived usefulness of this care. Methods: Data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey of N = 3718 self-identified TGD individuals. Single-item self-report measures of all constructs of interest were used. Results: A total of n = 1056 participants indicated hospitalization for either a past suicide attempt (SA) or suicidal ideation (SI). Irrespective of being hospitalized for SI or SA, perceived usefulness of hospital-based care was low with 50% or more of participants rating their care as some degree of unhelpful. Older age, general trust in mental healthcare providers, and voluntary admission were related to higher perceived helpfulness of care for both SI and SA admissions. Higher pride in TGD identity was positively related to perceived helpfulness of care but only for admissions related to SAs. Conclusion: Improving perceived usefulness of hospital-based care may be important for improving subsequent suicide-related help-seeking. Increasing training and provision of care that improves trust with mental healthcare providers and potentially reduces need for involuntary admission may help improve hospital-based, suicide-related care in TGD adults.