2 - (IOP 8) Is Existing Social Network Always Protective? Momentary Interpersonal Experiences and Suicidal Ideation in Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Individuals

Background
Interpersonal experiences fluctuate throughout daily life and may contribute to momentary suicidal ideation (SI). One factor that may influence how these experiences relate to SI is existing social networks, which includes the size, closeness, and frequency of social ties. While a larger social network may buffer against negative interactions and enhance positive ones, its protective effects may depend on individuals’ perceptions of their daily social experiences. This dynamic may differ for sexual minority individuals, whose social contexts and expectations around support may be more variable.

Methods
Participants (heterosexual: n = 38, LGB+: n = 41; 83% White; 35 ± 11 years old; 75% women) completed ecological momentary assessments measuring SI (i.e., sum of four 5-point Likert-scale items) and momentary interpersonal experiences (i.e., feeling criticized, excluded, complimented, and included) six times per day for 28 days. Existing social network was measured using the Lubben Social Network Scale. Multilevel models tested the associations between interpersonal experiences and SI, moderated by sexual orientation and social networks, controlling for age, sex, and race in the concurrent model, and including autoregressive effects in the prospective model.

Results
Concurrently, feeling criticized and excluded (b = 0.46, 0.68, p < .001) were associated with SI. Social networks moderated the relationship between criticism and SI (b = -0.27, p < .001). Compared to the heterosexual group, the associations between SI and criticism and between SI and inclusion were weaker for LGB+ individuals (b = -0.22, -0.20; p = .001-.002). The three-way interactions were significant for criticism, inclusion, and compliment (b = 0.16, 0.17, -0.17, p = .01-.02). Prospectively, there were no main effects of momentary interpersonal experiences on SI or two-way interactions with social networks. The association between feeling complimented and next time point SI was stronger for LGB+ participants (b = 0.17, p = .02). Additionally, a significant three-way interaction emerged for compliment (b = -0.25, p = .001).

Conclusions
These findings show that the protective effects of existing social networks on SI are not uniform. The stronger effect of inclusion may stem from a larger network amplifying its perceived significance. While social networks buffered the effect of criticism, their weaker buffering effect for LGB+ individuals indicates that the benefits of social ties may not extend equally across minoritized groups. Prospectively, the lower protective effect of compliments among LGB+ individuals with larger networks could mean that existing social ties and expectations may influence how interpersonal validation is received. These patterns underscore the need to consider both existing networks and daily experiences when understanding momentary suicide risk, especially in minoritized populations.