Social connections preventing suicide ideation during developmental transitions among young sexual minority women

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PROJECT SUMMARY Young lesbian, bisexual, and other women who love women (YLBWLW) are more likely to report considering and attempting suicide than their heterosexual female peers, or gay/bisexual male peers. However, most researchers combine lesbians/bisexual women with other sexual minorities, resulting in a paucity of research specific to YLBWLW, and even fewer have examined potential differences between YLBWLW. Further, within the scant protective factor research, YLBWLW are severely under-represented, and no studies have examined relationships between individual identity protective factors or interpersonal social connectedness protective factors specific to YLBWLW and their suicide risk. Another important area of study in suicide research with YLBWLW involves understanding how developmental transition periods (e.g., into high school, college, or the workforce) affect suicide risk since developmental transitions can result in a major loss of social connections that serve as protective factors against minority stress and suicide ideation. To address gaps in the research, we will pursue the following specific aims: (1) Examine the moderating effects of individual and interpersonal sexual identity-specific protective factors on theoretical pathways of risk for suicide ideation among YLBWLW; (2) Test developmental transition periods as a multi-level moderator within the theoretical model; and (3) Explore in-depth the effects of changes in social connections over time, especially during transition periods, on suicide risk. The sample will include a nationwide sample of 780 racially and ethnically diverse YLBWLW aged 14 to 30 recruited through social media platforms. Participants will complete an online survey every three months over an 18-month period. We will address Aim 1 by performing stratified latent variable moderated mediation analyses for YLBWLW separately to test and compare the following hypotheses: a) individual protective factors (identity centrality, authenticity, and affirmation) will moderate the risk relationship of minority stress on entrapment; and b) interpersonal social connectedness factors (social inclusion/belonging, lesbian/bisexual community involvement, social support) will moderate (weaken) the risk conferred by experiences of entrapment on suicide ideation. For Aim 2, we hypothesize that a) compared to those not going through transitions, those going through a transition will experience increased feelings of stress and entrapment; and b) social connectedness and positive identity factors will moderate associations between stress, entrapment, and suicide ideation. Aim 3 will involve conducting individual interviews with a subsample of 70 participants going through a developmental transition and reporting some suicide ideation to glean insights into YLBWLW’s experiences of these transitions and aspects of social connection that were most helpful in reducing their distress. The impact of this research involves identifying modifiable individual identity- and interpersonal social connectedness-level protective factors that will guide suicide prevention efforts across different levels of influence to promote mental health and reduce deaths by suicide among YLBWLW.