Making Sense of Chinese Employees’ Suicidal Ideation: A Psychological Strain—Life Meaning Model

Using the strain theory of suicide, this study examines how psychological strains influence suicide ideation via the mediating mechanism of the meaning in life. To check the hypothesized model, data were drawn from professional employees (n=687) across six organizations of various business types to increase the variability of respondent perception and the generalizability of the study findings. The results showed significant correlations among psychological strains, meaning in life, and suicide ideation. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for the mediation effect of meaning in life in the relationship between psychological strain and suicide ideation. Implications and future directions are discussed.