Existential Isolation and Suicide Ideation Among Chinese College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Although previous studies have preliminarily explored the link between existential isolation (EI) and suicidal ideation, their relationship is not well understood. Drawing upon the state trait EI model and terror management theory, the present study proposes that EI could predict suicidal ideation owing to a crisis of meaning, speculating that self-esteem and perceived social support can alleviate the negative effects of EI. Most research on EI has come from individualistic cultures; no prior studies have explored this theme in China, which is widely considered to be a representative collectivist culture. The present study aims to close this gap in the literature by exploring two hypotheses using a sample of Chinese college students ( N = 480). The results showed that participants who identified as men had higher EI than participants who identified as women. Moreover, individuals living in rural areas with a lower subjective economic status or the experience of being left behind have higher levels of EI. EI can predict suicidal ideation, both directly and indirectly, through a crisis of meaning. However, self-esteem and perceived social support can alleviate the negative influence of EI, and their moderating roles were also discussed.

Existential Crisis among University Students in Bangladesh

“…They found that men experienced higher existential isolation in comparison to female students because male did not ratify social values as like as female did. The sex difference finding of research was supported for students' population by finding of study conducted by (Zhu et al, 2022). Zhu et al (2022) also found that students from rural areas with a poor economic status also experienced higher level of existential isolation.…”

“…The sex difference finding of research was supported for students' population by finding of study conducted by (Zhu et al, 2022). Zhu et al (2022) also found that students from rural areas with a poor economic status also experienced higher level of existential isolation. Helm et al (2019) conducted three studies to examine how existential isolation related to death-thought accessibility.…”

“…First and second study supported their hypothesis that existential isolation was associated with greater death-thought accessibility where third study was failed to support the hypothesis. Existential isolation could predict suicidal ideation directly and indirectly through creating a meaninglessness in life (Zhu et al, 2022). Helm et al (2020) found that existential isolation was positively related with insecure attachments where existential isolation with loneliness was firmly associated with anxious attachment among young adults.…”

A Critique of The Tyranny of Merit from a Psychological Perspective: Would Randomness to Success Reduce Distributive Injustice or Induce Psychological Existential Crisis for Adolescents?

“…Many scholars have associated this condition to existential crisis, which is a psychological state characterised by feelings of directionless and emptiness, which are the primary consequences of being unable to resolve the 'identity vs. role' confusion stage in Erikson's psychosocial development theory (Andrews, 2016;Ding et al, 2019;Xiao et al, 2021). Furthermore, Zhu et al (2022) found that the feelings of existential crisis and isolation among Chinese college students were associated with higher tendency of suicidal thoughts. As suggested by evolutionary psychologists Oatley and Johnson-Laired (1987), when our self-preservation and sense of existence are threatened, our body generates the emotion of anxiety as a signal for us to stop attending vigilantly to an environment or seek ways to escape.…”

“…Scholars have attempted to investigate the reasons behind this phenomenon from various perspectives. Some have put forth explanations that highlight the role of parents and teachers, including defective family education philosophies, the impact of family economic status, and inadequate guidance for students' internet usage (Xiao et al, 2021;Zhu et al, 2022). Some scholars have highlighted the importance of considering the political mechanisms through which the Chinese education system operates in this scenario (Lu et al, 2018;Pires & Duarte, 2019).…”