The Effect of Job-Seeking Stress on Suicidal Ideation: The Mediating Effect of Entrapment and The Moderated Mediating Effect of Goal Adjustment

This study aims to examine the mediating effect of entrapment in the relationship between Job-Seeking stress and suicidal ideation among young adults in their 20s. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate whether goal adjustment capacity serves as a moderating factor in the relationship between entrapment and suicidal ideation, demonstrating a moderated mediation effect. An online survey was conducted with 451 individuals aged 20–29 experiencing Job-Seeking stress across Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and other regions in South Korea. After excluding 45 invalid or insincere responses, 406 valid responses were analyzed. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.4 and SPSS PROCESS Macro v4.2. The main findings are as follows: First, entrapment fully mediated the relationship between Job-Seeking stress and suicidal ideation. Second, goal reengagement was confirmed to have a moderating effect on the relationship between entrapment and suicidal ideation. Third, a moderated mediation effect was validated, where goal re-engagement moderated the impact of Job-Seeking stress on suicidal ideation through the mediation of entrapment. This study verifies the applicability of O’Connor’s Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model (IMV) within the Korean context. By focusing on the specific stressor of Job-Seeking stress, the study provides foundational data for developing targeted interventions to prevent suicide among young adults, highlighting the importance of goal adjustment capacity in the relationship between entrapment and suicidal ideation.