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Time Since Exposure to Conversion Therapy and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among LGBTQ+ Young People

LGBTQ+ young people with more recent exposure to conversion therapy reported higher rates of considering and attempting suicide in the past year than those with less recent exposure.
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Key Findings

  • LGBTQ+ young people whose most recent exposure occurred within the past year reported the highest rates of both past-year suicidal ideation (61%) and attempts (35%), compared to those whose exposure occurred more than a year prior.
  • One in twenty (5%) LGBTQ+ young people reported ever having been subjected to conversion therapy.
  • Transgender and nonbinary young people reported higher rates of lifetime exposure to conversion therapy (6%) than their cisgender peers (4%).

Background

Conversion therapy is not an accredited or recognized form of therapy. Rather, it refers to the practice of using psychological, religious, or cultural pressure in an attempt to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.1,2 A broad consensus among major medical and mental health organizations holds that conversion therapy is both ineffective at achieving its stated goals and harmful to those who are subjected to it.3 Indeed, LGBTQ+ young people subjected to conversion therapy are three times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year.4 The American Psychological Association (APA) notes that conversion therapy is associated with a wide range of negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress.5,6

Recognizing these documented harms, licensed healthcare providers are currently prohibited from subjecting minors to conversion therapy in 23 states and the District of Columbia.7 Despite these prohibitions, there is evidence that conversion therapy continues to be practiced across the United States (U.S.).3

While conversion therapy is often associated with religious or community-based contexts, its provision by licensed healthcare professionals warrants particular concern. Licensed providers hold positions of authority and trust, are bound by professional ethical standards, and are expected to deliver evidence-based care that does not cause harm. When conversion therapy is administered by healthcare professionals, it may be perceived as clinically legitimate, potentially increasing its psychological impact and undermining trust in the healthcare system. Continued provision of conversion therapy within healthcare settings also raises serious ethical and regulatory concerns, particularly in states where the practice is prohibited for licensed providers.

Although the long-term harms of conversion therapy are well-documented in the scientific literature and widely accepted within the medical community, there remain gaps in knowledge around the contexts of exposure to conversion therapy. Specifically, little research has examined if the timing of when LGBTQ+ young people are exposed to this harmful practice influences their suicidal thoughts or behavior. Using data from The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, this brief examines the relationship between conversion therapy and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, particularly the age they were first subjected to conversion therapy and years since they were last exposed to conversion therapy.

Results

Overall, 5% of LGBTQ+ young people in the full sample (n = 18,663) reported having ever been subjected to conversion therapy. Of those, 53% reported they had been subjected to conversion therapy by a pastor, priest, other religious leader, 40% by a religious leader but one not at their house of worship, and 35% by a healthcare professional such as a psychologist, social worker, or counselor. Of note, 23% of LGBTQ+ young people subjected to conversion therapy reported more than one source.

Demographic differences in exposure to conversion therapy
LGBTQ+ young people who reported only just meeting their basic economic needs reported higher rates of conversion therapy exposure compared to LGBTQ+ peers who met more than their basic economic needs (9% vs 4%). Transgender and nonbinary young people reported higher rates of conversion therapy compared to their cisgender peers (6% vs 4%). Considering race/ethnicity, Native and Indigenous LGBTQ+ young people reported the highest rates of conversion therapy (11%), followed by Middle Eastern and North African LGBTQ+ young people (7%), and multiracial LGBTQ+ young people (6%). Regionally, LGBTQ+ young people living in the South and Midwest reported the highest rates of conversion therapy (6%), followed by LGBTQ+ young people in the West (5%), and Northeast (4%).

Rates of Exposure to Conversion Therapy Among LGBTQ+ Young People, by Gender Identity chart

Age of first exposure to conversion therapy
The age at which LGBTQ+ young people were first subjected to conversion therapy varied. Over half of LGBTQ+ young people subjected to conversion therapy reported being subjected between the ages of 13 and 18 (59%), 34% between 7 and 12, 4% between 19 and 24, and 3% before the age of 7. The odds of a suicide attempt were lower the older an LGBTQ+ young person was when first subjected to conversion therapy. For each additional year of age at first exposure to conversion therapy, the likelihood of a past-year suicide attempt decreased by 6% (OR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99, p = 0.02).

Time since most recent exposure to conversion therapy
Recency of exposure to conversion therapy was also associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. LGBTQ+ young people who reported being exposed to conversion therapy in the past year reported the highest rates of seriously considering suicide in the past year (61%), compared to LGBTQ+ young people who reported 2-4 years (54%) or 5 years or more (44%) since their last exposure to conversion therapy. Recency of exposure to conversion therapy was also associated with past-year suicide attempts. LGBTQ+ young people whose most recent exposure occurred within the past year reported higher rates of past-year suicide attempts (35%) than those whose last exposure occurred 2-4 years prior (27%) or more than 5 years prior (20%).

Suicide Risk among LGBTQ+ Young People, by Time Since Last Subjected to Conversion Therapy chart

Looking Ahead

These findings show the prevalence and impact of conversion therapy among LGBTQ+ young people. Despite legal protections limiting the practice of conversion therapy in nearly half of U.S. states, one in twenty LGBTQ+ young people in our sample reported having been subjected to conversion therapy and an additional 8% reported being threatened with conversion therapy in their lifetime (Nath et al., 2025). Although most reported that it came from a religious leader within or outside their religious community, over a third reported being subjected to conversion therapy by a healthcare professional and nearly a quarter reported more than one source of conversion therapy. Transgender and nonbinary young people reported higher rates than their cisgender peers, suggesting that conversion therapy continues to target both sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, rates of conversion therapy are disproportionately high among Native and Indigenous LGBTQ+ young people, as well as LGBTQ+ youth who struggle to meet basic economic needs. Older LGBTQ+ young people also reported higher rates of being subjected to conversion therapy compared to their younger LGBTQ+ peers, which may reflect a longer period of potential exposure.

Our findings reinforce the literature and our existing work on increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors among LGBTQ+ young people exposed to conversion therapy.4 In addition, this brief provides new evidence that the timing in which conversion therapy occurs matters and is meaningfully associated with suicide risk. Likelihood of a past-year suicide attempt lowered as the age of first exposure to conversion therapy increased, suggesting that exposure to conversion therapy early in life is associated with heightened vulnerabilities. Similarly, LGBTQ+ young people who had last been exposed to conversion therapy in the past year reported the highest rates of both seriously considering and attempting suicide in the past year compared to their peers with less recent exposure, suggesting that the immediate aftermath of a conversion therapy exposure may be a time of elevated suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Research to learn more about this process of healing can be beneficial and leveraged as a strategy to ameliorate the heightened risk period immediately after exposure to conversion therapy. We also recognize there is an association between age, age of first exposure to conversion therapy, and time passed since most recent conversion therapy. For instance, individuals who were first exposed to conversion therapy during early childhood may have experienced more prolonged, repeated, or more recent exposure over time. Because age at first exposure, duration of exposure, and time since most recent exposure are closely related and were not separately assessed or modeled in this study, future research is needed to examine how cumulative and recent exposure may jointly contribute to suicide risk.

These findings provide helpful insights for those seeking to heal the documented harms of conversion therapy.3,5,6 Knowing that certain groups of LGBTQ+ young people are at elevated risk of being subjected to conversion therapy may help mental health practitioners develop better screening tools for suicidal thoughts and behaviors or provide more culturally competent and accessible treatment for survivors of conversion therapy. Mental health providers may develop treatments specific to survivors of recent conversion therapy or conversion therapy in early adolescence, while being sensitive to the fact that those survivors have experienced a breach of trust at the hands of unethical providers. Understanding the age or timeframe when conversion therapy can cause the most psychological harm may also allow for more effective treatment and healing. While much progress has been made in banning the practice of conversion therapy, there is strong evidence that it is still occurring across the U.S. and ongoing legal challenges threaten to limit the effects of these protections, potentially exposing more LGBTQ+ young people to the harms of conversion therapy.3 Mental health providers should be aware of this serious risk to the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people and prepared to assist survivors. Institutions training mental health providers should also educate practitioners about the harms of conversion therapy.

It is important to note the limitations of our methodology. A small number of respondents (n = 22) reported exposure to conversion therapy prior to age 7. We are unclear as to what experiences these respondents were identifying — there are few to no documented cases of conversion therapy happening at such a young age. Though it is unclear what conversion therapy would look like with such young children, future research should not discount the possibility this is a real, even if rare experience. Because this is a cross-sectional study, we cannot determine the chronology of events. While we measured suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the past year, we measured life-time exposure to conversion therapy. It is possible that some respondents were referred to conversion therapy as part of treatment after a suicide attempt.

The Trevor Project’s free, 24/7 crisis services are committed to making sure that all LGBTQ+ young people receive high-quality crisis care that addresses the unique challenges they face, including exposure to conversion therapy. We train our crisis counselors to provide culturally competent and non-judgmental support, consistently respecting each caller’s experience and background. Our TrevorSpace platform is a safe and supportive online space for LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24. Here, youth can connect with peers, find support in a moderated community, and share experiences related to mental health in a safe environment. Finally, our Research team is committed to the ongoing dissemination of research related to LGBTQ+ young people, including their mental health and its relation to conversion therapy, to help ensure all LGBTQ+ young people can live healthy lives. For more information on conversion therapy, please consult our report, “It’s Still Happening: A Report on Practitioners of So-Called Conversion “Therapy” in the U.S.”

Data Tables

Characteristics of LGBTQ+ Young People, by Exposure to Conversion Therapy

Characteristics of LGBTQ+ Young People, by Exposure to Conversion Therapy table

Methods

Sample
Data were collected through The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. In total, 18,663 LGBTQ+ young people between the ages of 13 to 24 were recruited via ads on social media. This brief primarily examines the 859 LGBTQ+ young people who reported ever being subjected to conversion therapy.

Measures
Demographics (i.e., age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity) were collected by asking participants to select a single category from a provided list.4 Experiences of conversion therapy were measured by a question which asked, “Did you ever receive treatment from someone who tried to change your sexual orientation or gender identity (such as trying to make you straight or cisgender)? This is sometimes referred to as ‘conversion therapy’.” Response options included: 1) No, 2) No, but someone threatened to send me to treatment, 3) Yes, from a healthcare professional (such as a psychologist, social worker, or counselor), 4) Yes, from a pastor, priest, or another religious leader at my church or house of worship, 5) Yes, from a religious leader that was not from my church or house of worship (such as a spiritual counselor or another member of a religious community). Any Yes response was counted as having been subjected to conversion therapy.

Age at first exposure to conversion therapy was assessed by a question which asked, “How old were you the first time you received treatment to change your sexual orientation or gender identity?” Respondents could report any age between 0 and 24. Respondents were also asked, “How old were you the last time you received treatment to change your sexual orientation or gender identity?” and could report any age between 0 and 24. Time since last exposure to conversion therapy was calculated by subtracting that value from the respondents’ self-reported age at the time of survey administration. Both first age of exposure and years since last exposure variables were composed of whole integers and subsequently recoded into categorical variables.

Considering and attempting suicide in the past year was assessed with items from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey.8

Analysis
Chi-square tests were run to examine differences between groups. The relationship between first age exposed to conversion therapy and suicide attempt in the past year was examined using an unadjusted binary logistic regression. Control variables were not used due to small sample size. Unless otherwise noted, all analyses are statistically significant at p<0.05, meaning documented differences would be expected less than 5% of the time if there were no true difference in the population (i.e., the null hypothesis).

References

  1. 1. Dromer, E., Ferlatte, O., Goodyear, T., Kinitz, D. J., & Salway, T. (2022). Overcoming conversion therapy: A qualitative investigation of experiences of survivors. SSM-Qualitative Research in Health, 2, 100194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100194 
  2. 2. Przeworski, A., Peterson, E., & Piedra, A. (2021). A systematic review of the efficacy, harmful effects, and ethical issues related to sexual orientation change efforts. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 28(1), 81–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12377 
  3. 3. The Trevor Project. (2023). It’s Still Happening: A Report on Practitioners of So-Called Conversion “Therapy” in the U.S. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/conversion-therapy-report
  4. 4. Nath, R., Matthews, D.D., Hobaica, S., Eden, T., DeChants, J.P., Clifford, A., Taylor, A.B., & Suffredini, K. (2025). Project SPARK Interim Report: A Longitudinal Study of Risk and Protective Factors in LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health (2023-2025). West Hollywood, California: The Trevor Project. https://doi.org/10.70226/OSCY3344 
  5. 5. American Psychological Association. (2021a). Resolution on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-sexual-orientation-change-efforts.pdf  
  6. 6. American Psychological Association. (2021b).Resolution on Gender Identity Change Efforts. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-gender-identity-change-efforts.pdf
  7. 7. Movement Advancement Project. (2025). Conversion “Therapy” Laws. https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/conversion_therapy. Accessed December 19, 2025.

    8. Mpofu, J. J., Underwood, J. M., Thornton, J. E., Brener, N. D., Rico, A., Kilmer, G., Harris, W. A., Leon-Nguyen, M., Chyen, D., Lim, C., Mbaka, C. K., Smith-Grant, J., Whittle, L., Jones, S. E., Krause, K. H., Li, J., Shanklin, S. L., McKinnon, I., Arrey, L., Queen, B. E., & Roberts, A. M. (2023). Overview and methods for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System—United States, 2021. MMWR Supplements, 72(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7201a1

The Trevor Project. (2026). Time Since Exposure to Conversion Therapy and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among LGBTQ+ Young People. https://doi.org/10.70226/EOHU7782

For more information please contact: Research@TheTrevorProject.org

© The Trevor Project 2026

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