Perceived discrimination and suicidal ideation among impoverished and nonimpoverished college students: Different mechanisms via social support, depressive symptoms, and nonsuicidal self-injury

Introduction: Being discriminated against is a potential interpersonal factor leading to suicidal ideation. Compared to nonimpoverished students, impoverished students have disadvantages in different aspects, leading to high risks of negative psychological states. However, few studies have contrasted the mechanism of discrimination in suicidal ideation between impoverished and nonimpoverished college students. The present study aimed to contrast the mediating effects of social support, depressive symptoms, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) between perceived discrimination and suicidal ideation among impoverished and nonimpoverished college students.

Method: The convenience cluster sampling method was used. A total of 1897 Chinese college students (1084 female; Mage = 19.93, SD = 1.44) participated in the two-wave survey with a six-month interval.

Results: Perceived discrimination significantly predicted suicidal ideation. Social support, depressive symptoms, and NSSI acted as mediators. However, the structural weights were significantly different between impoverished and nonimpoverished students. Specifically, the role of social support was more significant among impoverished students, while the role of depressive symptoms was more significant among nonimpoverished students.

Conclusions: Discrimination is a risk factor leading to suicidal ideation for college students. To intervene in suicidal ideation caused by discrimination, school and social workers should pay extra attention to reduce stress and increase social support for impoverished students.