Academic stress and suicidal ideation: the moderating role of psychological resilience among university students in Lima

Abstract

The research aimed to determine the influence of academic stress on suicidal ideation, considering the moderating role of psychological resilience in university students in Lima, Peru. It adopted a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design and an explanatory scope. The sample consisted of 267 university students. The results showed that academic stress had a positive and significant influence on suicidal ideation (β = 0.107; p < .001), while psychological resilience showed a negative and significant influence (β = −0.174; p < .001). Furthermore, the interaction between both variables was significant (β = −0.009; p < .001). The effect of stress was greater in students with low resilience (β = 0.142) and less in those with high resilience (β = 0.073). It was concluded that psychological resilience moderates the relationship between academic stress and suicidal ideation, attenuating its influence.