How teacher–student relationships are associated with adolescent suicide risk: a three-wave longitudinal study of perceived burdensomeness and psychological capital

Adolescent suicide represents a critical global public health concern, underscoring the urgent need to identify its underlying psychological mechanisms and protective factors. The present study employed a three-wave longitudinal design over one year with a sample of 1428 secondary school students to examine whether teacher–student relationships are associated with subsequent suicide risk through parallel mediating pathways involving interpersonal needs and psychological capital. Results from path analyses indicated that perceived burdensomeness, resilience, and optimism significantly mediated the association between teacher–student relationships and adolescent suicide risk. Among the significant mediators, optimism showed the largest estimated indirect effect among the significant mediators. The findings suggest that supportive teacher–student relationships are prospectively associated with lower adolescent suicide risk primarily via lower perceived burdensomeness and higher resilience and optimism, highlighting the critical role of positive psychological resources in adolescent suicide prevention.