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Lesbian and bisexual female college students are more likely than their male counterparts to take risks - including drug use, unsafe sex and even suicide.

LGBTQ college organisations were sent informational packets with promotional materials inviting students to participate in a survey. More than 900 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGNTQ) students attending college largely in the US responded to the online survey.

Dr Lisa L. Lindley and colleagues from the Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green found a higher rate of suicide among gay and bisexual women when compared with gay and bisexual men, 10 percent versus 4 percent said they attempted suicide in the previous year.

Researchers also found that LBT women were more likely than GBT men to smoke, use marijuana, LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Twenty-five percent of women said they had used LSD in their lifetimes, compared to only 13 percent of men.

Homophobia and exclusion is partly to blame for the higher rates of risky behaviour.

"You're going to have kids, even in elementary school, who may not know it yet, but may be gay and lesbian. And to exclude them at such a young age, you're setting them up for problems," Lindley said, according to an article in Reuters Health. "To ignore them, it's abuse, in my opinion."

Lesbian and bisexual women were more likely to recognise their sexual orientation and come out at a later age than men did. In addition women were less likely to report using a barrier or condom during their last sexual encounter, and were less likely to use a condom during vaginal or anal intercourse.

Women were also more likely to say they were attracted to both men and women and other studies have found that bisexual women are more likely to engage in risky behaviour.

The authors presented their findings in November at the 130th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in Philadelphia.