(PS9-D98) Sleep and Suicidality Among Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals: The Moderating Role of Heterosexist Experiences

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals (i.e., gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) experience heterosexism, a form of discrimination associated with increased risk for psychological outcomes. Along with impacting cognitions about how survivors see themselves and their place in the world, heterosexism may also negatively impact sleep quality (Gibbs, 2022) and increase suicide risk (Trujillo et al., 2020). Previous studies also show that poor sleep quality partially mediated the association between sexual minority status and risk of suicidality for a group of sexual minority adolescents (Huang et al., 2018). However, although identity-based discrimination is known to be related to both sleep quality and suicide risk, researchers have not yet investigated the role of heterosexist experiences in the association between sleep and suicide risk.  

The purpose of this study is to investigate heterosexist experiences as a moderator of the association between sleep and suicide risk among SGM individuals. Data collection for the study will be completed in May 2023. To date, 53 SGM adults aged 18-34 with recent suicidality (expected n = 70) completed measures of past year and current day heterosexist experiences (Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire; Balsam et al., 2013), suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale; Posner et al., 2008), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Buysse, 1989). Consistent with previous research, we hypothesize that increased sleep disturbance will be associated with increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors. In addition, we hypothesize that this relationship will be moderated by heterosexist experiences. These findings have implications for understanding and intervening suicide risk among SGM individuals, as well as further understanding the role of heterosexism and discrimination in suicide risk.