(PS9-22) Perceived Social Status and Recent Suicide Ideation Among High Schoolers: Examining the Role of Firearm Access and Sexual Minority Status

Abstract Text: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among individuals aged 15–24 (CDC, 2022), making it critical to understand factors contributing to adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Perceived social status (PSS), or how individuals rank themselves relative to others, has been linked to suicide ideation (SI) in adolescents, particularly when they see themselves as lower in status (Dickerson et al., 2022). Restricted firearm access may reduce suicide risk, but its effect on SI and the relationship between PSS and SI remains unclear. Additionally, sexual minority individuals that are not exclusively heterosexual may perceive themselves as lower status from rejection and bullying due to their sexual orientation. They face higher rates of SI and attempts (Luk et al., 2021) and are more likely to use lethal means (Clark et al., 2020), potentially influencing the PSS-SI relationship. This study examined how PSS relates to past-month SI in adolescents and whether firearm access and sexual minority status moderate this relationship. It was hypothesized that higher social status would be associated with lower SI, with firearm restrictions strengthening this effect, especially for sexual minority adolescents. Data were collected from 385 adolescents (ages 13-19, M=15.66, SD=1.0) from a high school in the south-central United States. The sample was 69% white, 51% female, and 82% heterosexual. Measures included the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status-Youth Version, the Suicide Ideation Questionnaire-Junior, and a single-item question assessing perceived ease of firearm access on a 4-point scale from 1 (difficult) to 4 (easy). Participants also reported their sexual orientation, with those identifying as not exclusively heterosexual coded as a sexual minority. Hypotheses were tested using Model 3 of the PROCESS macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2018). Social status was significantly and negatively associated with past-month SI (β= -0.12, t= -2.12, p< .05). While access to firearms was not significantly related to past-month SI (β=0.06, t=1.15, p=.25), sexual minority status was (b=1.18, t=8.00, p < .001). Conditional effects analysis revealed that higher social status was associated with lower past-month SI when firearm access was more restricted, particularly among sexual minority students (Effect= -0.60, t= -4.02, p< .001). These findings suggest that as social status increases for sexual minority students, SI significantly decreases when firearms access is limited. As sexual minority students may be more prone to suicidal thoughts, limiting firearm access could reduce the feasibility of acting on suicidal thoughts. The study underscores the importance of firearm safety and awareness, specifically for sexual minority students who may perceive themselves as having higher social status yet remain at increased suicide risk if access to lethal means, such as firearms, is not restricted. Further research should examine the role of firearm access in suicide risk among sexual minority youth and explore additional contributing factors.