Suicidal ideation among working adults : a moderated mediation approach

Abstract

Suicide is prevalent among people of working age. The profound impacts of employee suicide on both the individual and the workplace call for research on suicide risk and protective factors present at work. In the current study, I proposed and tested two moderated mediation models that connect meaningfulness of work and transformational leadership, respectively, with feelings of hopelessness, depression, and suicidal ideation among employees under the boundary condition of experienced job stressors. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 600 working adults recruited through Prolific. Results suggested that meaningfulness of work and transformational leadership were associated with lower levels of hopeless and depression, which were further associated with lower suicidal ideation. Further, the positive impacts of work meaning and transformational leadership on employee suicidal ideation were attenuated when job stressors were perceived to be high. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.