The Buffering Role of Family Cohesion: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of the Effects of Stress on Depression and Suicidal Tendencies

This study examined the effects of stress on suicidal tendencies among adolescents by applying a moderated mediation model incorporating the mediating role of depression and the moderating role of family cohesion. Using data from 6,689 Korean adolescents, Hayes’ PROCESS Macro Model 8 was employed to analyze both the indirect effects of stress on suicidal tendencies via depression and the conditional role of family cohesion in moderating these pathways. The results indicated that stress had significant positive effects on both depression and suicidal tendencies, while depression significantly mediated the relationship between stress and suicidal tendencies. Family cohesion moderated the association between stress and depression, and also reduced the overall strength of the indirect path from stress to suicidal tendencies via depression. Conditional indirect effect analyses showed that the mediating effect of depression was stronger among adolescents with lower levels of family cohesion, and weaker among those with higher family cohesion. The index of moderated mediation was also statistically significant, indicating that family cohesion buffers the emotional impact of stress on suicidal outcomes. This study offers an integrated perspective on the psychosocial mechanisms linking stress, depression, and suicidal tendencies, and provides empirical evidence on the protective role of family cohesion. These findings may inform the development of multi-layered intervention strategies targeting adolescent mental health and suicide prevention.