Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between social and emotional competence (SEC) and suicide risk in Chinese college students and whether depression is a mediating factor, and furthermore whether self-esteem is a moderating factor of direct and indirect pathways. A cross-sectional study among 24,103 college students from one Chinese university using the Delaware Social-Emotional Competency Scale (DSECS-S), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R). Correlation, mediation, and moderated mediation analysis were conducted controlling for gender, health status, place of origin, and sibling status. The path from SEC to suicide risk is significantly and negatively associated (β = -0.23, p < 0.001). Depression partially mediates this relationship SEC is negatively associated with depression (β = -0.17, p < 0.001); depression, in turn, is positively associated with suicide risk (β = 0.29, p < 0.001). The indirect effect of SEC on suicide risk through depression is significant, indirect effect = -0.05, (95% CI [-0.06, -0.05]). Self-esteem significantly moderated all paths in the mediation model. Specifically, higher self-esteem strengthens the negative association between SEC and depression, strengthens the beneficial association between SEC and lower suicide risk, and attenuates the positive association between depression and suicide risk (simple slope).Simple slope analyses revealed that associations between SEC and depression, and between depression and suicide risk are weaker among students with higher self-esteem. A moderated mediation model in which SEC (social-emotional competencies) are associated with lower suicide risk directly and through depression was supported, with self-esteem acting as a protective moderator across pathways.