Effects of Post-Traumatic Stress and Depression on the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Suicidality of a Metropolitan Citizen: The Moderating Effect of Resilience

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of posttraumatic stress and depression on the relationship between perceived stress and suicidality, and to explore the moderating and moderated mediating effects of resilience in this relationship. Methods: This secondary data analysis utilized data from the 2023 G metropolitan city mental health survey, which included 1,000 participants. The analysis was conducted using SPSS/WIN 25.0 and the PROCESS macro 4.3, with significant values of resilience identified using the Johnson- Neyman method. Results: Posttraumatic stress and depression were found to mediate the effect of perceived stress on suicidality. Additionally, resilience moderated the relationships between perceived stress and posttraumatic stress, as well as between posttraumatic stress and depression. Furthermore, resilience had a moderated mediating effect on the relationship between stress and suicidality. Specifically, when resilience levels were between 84.14 and 84.90, posttraumatic stress did not significantly affect depression, and the dual mediating effect of posttraumatic stress and depression on the relationship between stress and suicidality was not observed. Conclusion: The findings suggest that developing resilience training programs may be essential for suicide prevention, even in contexts of severe stress or trauma.