Perceived Social Support as a Proposed Mediator of the Relationship Between Dispositional Optimism and Suicide Ideation

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students in the United States, with rates continuing to rise. University suicide prevention efforts have focused heavily on risk factors. However, these methods concentrate on maladaptive and pathologizing principles of suicidality which may neglect individual strengths that serve as safeguards against suicide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of perceived social support on the relationship between dispositional optimism and suicide ideation in college students. The primary hypothesis of this study posits that dispositional optimism will be associated with of higher levels of perceived social support, which in turn will be associated with of lower levels of suicide ideation. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that perceived social support will mediate the relationships of hope and suicide ideation perceived burdensomeness and suicide ideation, and thwarted belongingness and suicide ideation. Results of this study found that perceived social support partially mediated the relationships between dispositional optimism and suicide ideation, hope and suicide ideation, perceived burdensomeness and suicide ideation, and thwarted belongingness and suicide ideation.