Coping Strain and Suicidal Ideation Among Pakistani adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Depression and Parental Connectedness

The association between coping strain and suicidal ideation is well-established theoretically as well as empirically, yet very little is known about the mediated and moderated pathways explaining this link. (1) Background: The current study investigates the mediating effect of depression and moderating effect of parental connectedness in the path where coping strain leads to suicidal ideation. (2) Methods: A total of 405 participants were approached via purposive sampling (M ± SD age = 15.74 ± 1.22 years) from Islamabad, Pakistan. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Coping Strain Scale from PS Scales (PSS-40), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were administered to assess the variables. (3) Results: Results from the study showed that coping strain, depression, and parental connectedness are significantly linked with suicidal ideation. Depression was found to significantly mediate the linkage between coping strain and suicidal ideation. However, the results of moderating effect of parental connectedness were insignificant. (4) Conclusions: These results imply that psychological interventions intended at reducing coping strain and depression may be helpful for decreasing the risk of suicidal ideation amongst Pakistani adolescents.