Monday, June 30, 2025 6/30/2025

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

Award Number: R01MD015896
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CENTER ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/22/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

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


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $308,537 )
2024	2024	THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	000	5	5/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$308,537
														Subtotal = $308,537

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $475,424 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	000	4	5/27/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$475,424
														Subtotal = $475,424

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $454,289 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	001	3	5/23/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	000	3	5/8/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$454,289
														Subtotal = $454,289

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $476,626 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	002	2	8/23/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	001	2	4/26/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$476,626
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	000	1	11/4/2020	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $476,626

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $383,000 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	001	1	9/24/2020	NEW	$190,000
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE	4000 CENTRAL FLORIDA BLVD	ORLANDO	FL	32816	ORANGE	USA	Minority Health and Health Disparities Research	000	1	9/22/2020	NEW	$193,000
														Subtotal = $383,000

Grand Total All Awards = $2,097,876

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

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

Award Number: R01MD015896

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CENTER ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/22/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer