Perceived burdensomeness and suicidal ideation: parallel mediating roles of non-suicidal self-injury and digital self-harm and the moderating role of psychological capital

BackgroundSuicidal ideation is a key predictor of suicidal behavior, yet less is known about how interpersonal risk factors translate into suicidal ideation through both offline and online self-harm behaviors, and under what conditions these pathways may be buffered. Grounded in the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, this study examined the parallel mediating roles of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and digital self-harm in the association between perceived burdensomeness and suicidal ideation, as well as the moderating role of psychological capital.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 2,167 Chinese college students (68.6% female; Mage = 18.91 years, SD = 1.31) via an online survey.ResultsParallel mediation analyses showed that perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with suicidal ideation both directly and indirectly through NSSI and digital self-harm. Moderated mediation analyses further revealed that psychological capital significantly moderated the association between digital self-harm and suicidal ideation, but not the association between NSSI and suicidal ideation. Specifically, digital self-harm was positively related to suicidal ideation only among individuals with low psychological capital.ConclusionThese findings highlight the dual behavioral pathways linking perceived burdensomeness to suicidal ideation and identify psychological capital as a context-specific protective factor that buffers suicide risk in digital self-harm contexts.