The Mediating Effect of Stress between Extracurricular Activities and Suicidal Ideation in Chinese College Students

Tao Wang, Zhiying Yao, Qianqian Liu, Jingjing Zhao, Xinting Wang, Josephine Pui-Hing Wong, Mandana Vahabi and Cunxian Jia ()
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Tao Wang: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Zhiying Yao: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Qianqian Liu: Student Counseling Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Jingjing Zhao: School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Xinting Wang: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong: Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 1Z5, Canada
Mandana Vahabi: Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 1Z5, Canada
Cunxian Jia: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between extracurricular activities, stress, and suicidal ideation and to examine the mediating effect of stress between extracurricular activities and suicidal ideation in Chinese college students. Method: A total of 6446 college students were surveyed with a web-based online data collection system using the self-made demographic questionnaire, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire—Revised (SBQ-R), and the 21-Item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). SPSS 24.0 was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, and the bootstrap method in the process procedure for SPSS Version 3.4.1 was used to construct the mediating effect model. Results: Gender, school grades, living area, and family income status were influencing factors for suicidal ideation, stress, and extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities were negatively correlated with stress ( r = −0.083, p < 0.001) and suicidal ideation ( r = −0.039, p < 0.01). Extracurricular activities had no direct predictive effect on college students’ suicidal ideation ( c = −0.198, CI: −0.418, 0.023), while stress had a mediating effect between extracurricular activities and suicidal ideation; the indirect mediating effect was 0.159. Conclusions: Extracurricular activities indirectly predict college students’ suicidal ideation through stress. A variety of extracurricular activities can decrease the stress and suicidal ideation of college students and benefit their mental health.

Keywords: suicidal ideation; stress; extracurricular activities; college students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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