Is real-time exposure to negative news or media (e.g. a news headline) associated with short-term changes in suicidal ideation (SI) intensity among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) young adults? Definitely.
This is according to a study – “Real-Time Exposure to Negative News Media and Suicidal Ideation Intensity Among LGBTQ+ Young Adults” by Kirsty A. Clark, John K. Kellerman, Alexandra P. Argiros, et al – that appeared in JAMA Pediatrics.
This intensive longitudinal cohort study used a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol wherein participants responded to EMAs three times per day for 28 consecutive days. Young adults aged 18 to 24 years who self-identified as LGBTQ+, resided in Tennessee in the US, and had past-year SI and at least mild depression (defined as a score ≥5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9) were eligible for inclusion. Participants were recruited through social media advertisements, LGBTQ+ community organizations, and mental and behavioral health clinics were recruited between March 30, 2023, and August 23, 2023, and data analyses were conducted from August 28, 2023, through April 20, 2024.
The results included:
- Of 31 total participants, 22 were assigned female sex at birth (71%), and 16 (52%) self-identified as transgender or gender diverse. The median (IQR) participant age was 21 (18-22) years, and a total of 2189 EMAs were completed, with a median (range) compliance of 90.5% (41.7%-100%).
- At the within-person level, recent exposure to LGBTQ+ negative news or media was significantly associated with increased active SI (estimate [b], 0.14; 95% CI, 0.04-0.25; P = .009), passive SI (b, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.04-0.41; P = .02), and self-harm ideation (b, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02-0.23; P = .02).
- No statistically significant associations were detected for exposure to general negative news or media. In multilevel mediation models, heightened expectations of rejection explained some of the total effect of exposure to LGBTQ+ negative news or media on active SI (23%) and passive SI (37%).
“These findings suggest that SI intensity may modestly increase in the hours immediately following identity-specific, but not general, negative news or media exposure among LGBTQ+ young adults,” the researchers noted.
