REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Personality and Social Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1610351
Suicidal Ideation and Meaning in Life in the Chinese Context: A Meta-Analysis of Their Relationship and Moderators
Provisionally accepted
- Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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Previous research has examined the link between meaning in life and suicidal ideation across cultures, highlighting cultural background as a moderator. However, few studies focus on single cultural contexts. To address this gap within China, this meta-analysis investigates the association between meaning in life and suicidal ideation, specifically examining moderators including regional economic differences, measurement tools for suicidal ideation, and the impact of public health emergency (e.g., COVID-19). Results show a negative correlation between meaning in life and suicidal ideation (r = -0.387, 95% CI [-0.425, -0.344]). Subgroup analyses revealed stronger effects in undeveloped regions, when using specific measurement tools, and during public health emergency. Unlike previous studies, gender did not significantly moderate this relationship. These findings confirm that enhancing meaning in life may be a key protective factor against suicidal ideation in China, especially in economically disadvantaged regions and during crises. Future interventions should develop tailored strategies to strengthen meaning in life, prioritizing economic inequality and crisis resilience.
Keywords: meaning in life1, suicidal ideation2, meta-analysis3, Chinese context4, Suicide prevention5
Received: 11 Apr 2025; Accepted: 03 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Xiao, Lan and Xue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yuanmei Lan, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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