The global prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among men who have sex with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the global prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among men who have sex with men (MSM) as a systematic review, and meta-analysis. METHODS: For this meta-analysis, a search in four international databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE) was designed, and performed. In the next step, the information extraction checklist was prepared based on the study authors’ opinions, and the quality of the articles was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS) checklist. Data meta-analysis was performed using STATA16 software with a significance level below 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed the prevalence of suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among MSM was 21% (95% CI 17%-26%), and 12% (95% CI 8%-17%), respectively. The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of suicidal ideation in the population of MSM living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was 40% (95% CI 35%–45%), and the prevalence of suicide attempts among MSM with HIV was 10% (95% CI 1%–27%). The prevalence of suicidal ideation in European MSM, and the prevalence of suicide attempts among American MSM were higher than other MSM in other geographical areas. CONCLUSION: Considering that the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among these people is many times higher than that among men in the general population, developing programs for the prevention of mental disorders with special attention to suicide is necessary for these people. Screening programs are also recommended for early diagnosis and prevention of suicide among these people. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40001-023-01338-6.