Shame and Suicidal Ideation among Undergraduates in China: The Mediating Effect of Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness

Jingjing Zhao, Yanna Chi, Yanli Ju, Xiyao Liu, Jingjing Wang, Xinglai Liu, Bob Lew, Ching Sin Siau and Cunxian Jia
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Jingjing Zhao: School of Marxism, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Yanna Chi: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Yanli Ju: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Xiyao Liu: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Jingjing Wang: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Xinglai Liu: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Bob Lew: Department of Social Psychology, Putra University of Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor Malaysia
Ching Sin Siau: Faculty of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
Cunxian Jia: School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Undergraduate students with shame are more likely to experience suicidal ideation, but there remains a lack of research investigating the factors underlying this relationship. The interpersonal theory of suicide posits that suicidal ideation is influenced by the simultaneous presence of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. We examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation among undergraduate students in China and examined the association between shame and suicidal ideation mediated by perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. A survey was conducted in July 2018 involving 2320 undergraduate students, and the twelve-month prevalence of suicidal ideation was 8.95%. Shame played a crucial role in predicting suicidal ideation, and the mediating effects of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness between shame and suicidal ideation were significant. Suicidal ideation is common among undergraduate students in China and merits greater attention. Shame, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness may be important factors to assess among undergraduate students in suicide risk assessment and psychological intervention.

Keywords: suicidal ideation; shame; thwarted belongingness; perceived burdensomeness; undergraduate students; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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