Associations Among Employment Pressure, Expressive Suppression, Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese University Students

Employment pressure has emerged as a significant stressor among Chinese university students, yet the psychological mechanisms linking this pressure to suicidal ideation remain underexplored. This study investigated how expressive suppression and depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between employment pressure and suicidal ideation. Data were collected between March and June 2024. A sample of 10,839 Chinese university students completed standardized measures of employment pressure, expressive suppression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation through an online survey. Path analysis revealed that employment pressure positively predicted suicidal ideation both directly and indirectly. Expressive suppression significantly mediated the relationship between employment pressure and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, expressive suppression and depressive symptoms serially mediated the association between employment pressure and suicidal ideation. These findings suggest that employment pressure maybe associated with increased suicidal ideation through pathways involving expressive suppression, which in turn may exacerbate depressive symptoms. Interventions targeting emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms may help mitigate the negative psychological impact of employment pressure among Chinese university students facing competitive job markets.