Abstract:
Suicide among adolescents is a huge public health concern around the world.
Although childhood abuse has been established as a substantial risk factor for suicide
behaviours, potential mediators in this relationship remain unclear.
Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating roles of school connectedness and
psychological resilience in the association between childhood abuse and suicidal ideation
among Chinese high school students.
Methods: The sample involved 1607 adolescents from four high schools in Central China.
Structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted to investigate the mediation effects of
school connectedness and psychological resilience on the relationship between childhood
abuse and suicidal ideation.
Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation during the past week was 21.9%. Childhood abuse
was positively related to the development of suicidal ideation directly and indirectly through
school connectedness and psychological resilience. School connectedness and psychological
resilience were also partial mediators of all three types of childhood abuse (emotional
abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse) when the types were examined separately.
Conclusions: Suicidal ideation was widespread among Chinese high school students.
Psychological resilience and school connectedness could attenuate the detrimental impact
of childhood abuse on suicidal ideation. Findings underscore the improvement of
psychological resilience and the connection to the school would be beneficial to suicide
prevention among Chinese adolescents with childhood abuse.