Mediating Effect of School Engagement on the Relationship of Support System and Suicidal Ideation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of social support and suicidal ideation as mediated by school engagement among college students. Using a stratified sample of 306 college students, this research found that the level of support from family, peer, and significant others were high and the level of student engagement was high. Further, the prevalence of suicidal ideation in the past 12 months was 33.33%. The student engagement variables that influenced the suicidal ideation based on regression analysis were behavioral engagement in terms of extracurricular activities; affective engagement in terms of liking for learning; and behavioral engagement in terms of persistence. The support system does not directly influenced suicidal ideation. Using Structural Equation Modelling, the hypothesized model was confirmed. The suicidal ideation of college students fully mediates the relationship between student engagement and the risk behaviors of college students. The researchers discussed their implications of the results in this study.