Insomnia, Social Disconnectedness, and Suicidal Ideation Severity in Underserved Veterans

Insomnia, characterized by difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, is a robust transdiagnostic correlate of suicidal ideation (SI). Nevertheless, there remains a lack of research exploring factors that may account for this association. One approach to advancing our understanding of these associations, is to draw from theoretical models of suicide including the interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS). According to the IPTS, the desire for suicide emerges when one feels intractably socially disconnected (i.e., lonely and perceiving oneself as a burden). Initial research suggests that social disconnectedness explains, in part, the association between insomnia and suicidal ideation severity. However, less research has investigated this veterans in underserved communities, a sample at heightened risk for suicide.

Using an outpatient treatment seeking sample of veterans (N = 83; M age = 53.51 SD = 15.04; 52% Black/African American; 81% male), we modeled the indirect effect of insomnia severity on SI severity through social disconnectedness.

Although insomnia severity was not directly associated with SI severity, there was a positive and statistically significant indirect effect of insomnia on SI severity through social disconnectedness.

These findings extend prior research examining mechanisms that may help explain the link between insomnia and suicidality. Results highlight the importance of including transdiagnostic risk markers like insomnia and social disconnectedness in comprehensive suicide risk assessment. Future research should seek to establish the temporal nature of these relationships.