‘I’d rather be alone.’ Examining the Interactive Effects of Social Proximity and Social Preference on Suicidal Thinking

Introduction: Emerging and young adulthood is associated with heightened risk for suicide, with interpersonal factors potentially exerting disproportionate effects during this critical life stage. Research examining the interplay of subjective and objective interpersonal factors for suicide ideation (SI) in daily life is limited.Methods: Dynamic structural equation models were used to analyze ecological momentary assessment data (21 days; 7 semi-random daily surveys) in a sample of at-risk young adults (N = 140) to test within-person main and interactive effects of objective social proximity (alone vs. not alone) and subjective social preference (desire to be alone or with others), on SI severity concurrently and prospectively over 2-hour intervals in daily life.Results: Preferring to be alone (while alone or with others) was associated with intraindividual near-term increases in SI severity, whereas, preferring to be with others (while alone or with others) was associated with near-term decreases in SI severity.Conclusions: Being with others can either be a risk or protective factor for near-term SI severity depending on whether the present company is desired. Considering multiple interpersonal factors combined may be necessary to understand and treat SI, as these factors may either buffer or confer greater near-term risk depending on other factors.