Covitality in the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Suicidality Among Italian University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study of Indirect Associations

Background/Objectives: University students may experience depressive symptoms and suicidality. Covitality—the combination of belief in self, belief in others, emotional competence, and engaged living—may be a relevant positive mental-health resource. This study examined whether depressive symptoms were indirectly associated with suicidality through covitality among Italian university students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey included 482 Italian university students aged 18–51 years (M = 21.2, SD = 4.48); 81.1% were women. Covitality was assessed with the Social Emotional Health Survey–Higher Education, depressive symptoms with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales–21 depression subscale, and suicidality with a seven-item self-report index adapted from the Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale screener (not used as a diagnostic interview). Structural equation modeling with 5000 bootstrap samples tested the indirect association. Results: The model showed good fit. Depressive symptoms were negatively associated with covitality and positively associated with suicidality, and covitality was negatively associated with suicidality. The indirect association through covitality was statistically significant and accounted for 16.3% of the total association; the estimate was similar without the non-suicidal self-injury item but not significant among complete responders. Conclusions: Covitality was statistically associated with suicidality and accounted for a small part of the association between depressive symptoms and suicidality. Because the data are cross-sectional, these findings do not establish mediation as a temporal or causal process. Social-emotional strengths may complement, but not replace, symptom-focused assessment in university mental-health and suicide-prevention research; longitudinal and intervention studies are needed.