Academic performance of opposite-sex and same-sex twins in adolescence: A Danish national cohort study

BackgroundPeople belonging to sexual minority groups have higher levels of suicidality than heterosexuals. However, findings regarding suicide death are sparse. Using unique national data from two countries, we investigated whether individuals entering a same-sex marriage (SSM), a proxy group of sexual minority individuals, had higher suicide rates than those entering opposite-sex marriage (OSM).MethodsA cohort study of all males and females who entered an SSM (n=28 649) or OSM (n=3 918 617) in Denmark and Sweden during 1989–2016 was conducted. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for suicide were calculated using adjusted Poisson regression models.ResultsIn total, 97 suicides occurred among individuals who had entered an SSM compared with 6074 among those who entered an OSM, corresponding to an adjusted IRR of 2.3 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.8). For people who entered SSM, a 46% decline was noted over time from an IRR of 2.8 (95% CI 1.9 to 4.0) during 1989–2002 to 1.5 (95% CI 1.2 to 1.9) during 2003–2016. The excess suicide mortality was present in all age groups but most pronounced among younger individuals aged 18–34 years of age (IRR 2.7, 95% CI 1.5 to 4.8) and females (IRR 2.7, 95% CI 1.8 to 3.9).ConclusionThis large register-based study found higher suicide rates among individuals who entered an SSM, compared with those who entered an OSM. A lower suicide rate was noted for individuals in SSMs in recent years. More research is needed to identify the unique suicide risk and protective factors for sexual minority people.

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Risk of epilepsy in opposite-sex and same-sex twins: a twin cohort study

Biology of Sex Differences ◽

10.1186/s13293-018-0179-5 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yanyan Mao ◽

Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt ◽

Kaare Christensen ◽

Chunsen Wu ◽

Jakob Christensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Same Sex ◽

Opposite Sex

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Does ‘online confidence’ predict application success and later academic performance in medical school? A UK-based national cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034437 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. e034437

Author(s):

Paul A Tiffin ◽

Lewis W Paton

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Academic Success ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

First Year ◽

High Stakes ◽

National Cohort ◽

Two Measures ◽

The Uk ◽

Medical Selection

ObjectivesThe UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) previously piloted an assessment of ‘online confidence’, where candidates were asked to indicate how confident they were with their answers. This study examines the relationship between these ratings, the odds of receiving an offer to study medicine and subsequent undergraduate academic performance.DesignNational cohort study.SettingUK undergraduate medical selection.Participants56 785 UKCAT candidates who sat the test between 2013 and 2016 and provided valid responses to the online confidence pilot study.Primary outcome measuresTwo measures of ‘online confidence’ were derived: the well-established ‘confidence bias’, and; a novel ‘confidence judgement’ measure, developed using Item Response Theory in order to derive a more sophisticated metric of the ability to evaluate one’s own performance on a task. Regression models investigated the relationships between these confidence measures, application success and academic performance.ResultsOnline confidence was inversely related to cognitive performance. Relative underconfidence was associated with increased odds of receiving an offer to study medicine. For ‘confidence bias’ this effect was independent of potential confounders (OR 1.48, 1.15 to 1.91, p=0.002). While ‘confidence judgement’ was also a univariable predictor of application success (OR 1.22, 1.01 to 1.47, p=0.04), it was not an independent predictor. ‘Confidence bias’, but not ‘confidence judgement’, predicted the odds of passing the first year of university at the first attempt, independently of cognitive performance, with relative underconfidence positively related to academic success (OR 3.24, 1.08 to 9.72, p=0.04). No non-linear effects were observed, suggesting no ‘sweet spot’ exists in relation to online confidence and the outcomes studied.ConclusionsApplicants who either appear underconfident, or are better at judging their own performance on a task, are more likely to receive an offer to study medicine. However, online confidence estimates had limited ability to predict subsequent academic achievement. Moreover, there are practical challenges to evaluating online confidence in high-stakes selection.

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