(PS7-B37) Social Support of LGBTQ+ Women Veterans with MST Presenting to a Treatment Study

Background: Veterans are known to be at risk for suicidality, and this risk is exacerbated in veterans with the added stressors of minority status (being women and LGBTQ+) and having experienced military sexual trauma (MST). Social support is a protective factor against suicidality, with healthy social relationships (such as relationships with friends and family) mitigating suicide risk. However, limited studies have compared the relationships between different aspects of perceived social support, perceived social engagement, and suicidality in women veterans with MST who are also LGBTQ+. This study aims to fill this gap.

Method: 220 women veterans (cisgender & heterosexual = 168; LGBTQ+ = 52) who endorsed experiences of MST enrolled in a randomized clinical trial comparing skills training in affective and interpersonal regulation (STAIR) to present-centered therapy (PCT). 198 women veterans met criteria for PTSD on the PCL-5 (≥ 31). All participants completed measures on suicidality (BDI item 9), perceived social engagement and satisfaction (SAM), and perceived social support (ISEL) at baseline. Independent samples t-tests were run to test between-group differences for LGBTQ+ vs. non-LGBTQ+ groups and linear regression models were run to test moderations.

Results: Data analysis showed that there were no differences in endorsement of self-reported interactions with friends between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ groups. However, LGBTQ+ women were finding these interactions to be less satisfying than non-LGBTQ+ people (t = -2.66, p = 009). The interaction between perceived social support (ISEL) and LGBTQ+ status predicting suicidal thoughts was significant (b = -0.008, p = .035). When looking at simple slopes, higher perceived social support was related to lower suicidal ideation for non-LGBTQ+ people (b = -0.004, p = 0.04), but not for LGBTQ+ people (b = 0.004, p = .194). When examining subscales of ISEL, there was a significant interaction between Belonging (i.e., perceived existence of friends and inclusion in activities) and LGBTQ+ status (b = 0.042, p = .007). For non-LGBTQ+ people, greater Belonging was associated with fewer suicidal thoughts (b = -0.016, p = .031), while for LGBTQ+ people suicidal thoughts increased as Belonging increased (b = 0.026, p =.059).

Discussion: After looking at the questions on the ISEL, we suspect that LGBTQ+ people have social and family groups that they belong to and seek out for interaction, but may not find these interactions satisfying, which may worsen suicidal thoughts. LGBTQ+ women veterans with MST can access social support at similar rates to non-LGBTQ+ women, but are not finding these interactions satisfying, potentially leading to exacerbated suicidal thoughts.