Reappraisal Mitigates, While COVID-19 Burnout Exacerbates the Impact of Depressive Symptoms on Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese College Students

Lijie Ren,1 Ye Chen,2 Xianguo Han,3 Ziyi Chen,2 Zhi Wang,4 Wenxiao Li,2 Hongyuan Chen2 1Mental Health Center, Shanghai Customs University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Customs and Public Administration, Shanghai Customs University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Customs and Public Economics, Shanghai Customs University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xianguo Han, School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Street, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200234, People’s Republic of China, Email hanxg.psy@aliyun.comBackground: Suicide is a global public health issue. This study examined the role of COVID-19 burnout and reappraisal in suicidal ideation caused by depressive symptoms among Chinese college students.Methods: 587 students (261 boys, Mage = 19.53, SD = 1.42) were assessed using the Short Depression-Happiness Scale (SDHS), Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation (PANSI) inventory, and Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS).Results: Correlation analysis indicated depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with reappraisal and positively correlated with suicidal ideation and COVID-19 burnout. Reappraisal was negatively correlated with suicidal ideation and COVID-19 burnout. The moderated mediation model showed COVID-19 burnout enhanced the direct effect of depressive symptoms on suicidal ideation and indirectly enhanced this effect by weakening the protective role of reappraisal.Conclusion: These finding show that reappraisal acts as a protective factor against suicidal ideation in individuals with depressive symptoms, while COVID-19 burnout exacerbates this effect by weakening reappraisal’s protective role.Keywords: depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, reappraisal, COVID-19 burnout, moderated mediation model