Longitudinal Association between Employment Pressure and Suicidal Ideation among Recent Graduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model

Mingsheng Chen; Mingjuan Zheng

Longitudinal Association between Employment Pressure and Suicidal Ideation among Recent Graduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model

Iran J Public Health. 2024 Dec;53(12):2779-2788.

Authors

Mingsheng Chen¹, Mingjuan Zheng²

Affiliations

¹ Department of School of Materials and Packaging Engineering, Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, Fuqing, China.
² Department of Student Affairs, Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, Fuqing, China.

PMID: 39759197
PMCID: PMC11693806

Abstract

Background: The aim was to explore the relationships among employment pressure, ego depletion, negotiable fate, and recent graduates' suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A total of 2703 recent graduates completed two times questionnaires that measured employment pressure, ego depletion, negotiable fate and suicidal ideation in the current study.

Results: 1) employment pressure positively predicts suicidal ideation among recent graduates; 2) ego depletion mediates the association between employment pressure and recent graduates' suicidal ideation; and 3) negotiable fate moderates the associations of employment pressure with ego depletion and suicidal ideation, while the relationships of employment pressure with ego depletion and suicidal ideation are stronger for recent graduates with a strong belief in negotiable fate.

Conclusion: Ego depletion and negotiable fate play a significant role between employment pressure and recent graduates' suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This still needs to be noted in the post-epidemic era.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Ego depletion; Employment pressure; Negotiable fate; Suicidal ideation.