Making Sense of Chinese Employees’ Suicide Ideation: Does Meaning in Life Matter?

Abstract

Drawing on the self-determination theory and conservation of resources, our research shed light on the linkage between organizational autonomy support and suicide ideation. Specifically, this study examined whether the negative influence of autonomy support on suicide ideation is mediated via meaning in life, and if employee’s autonomy orientations constitute a boundary condition of this relationship. To test the hypothesized model, data were collected from professional employees ( N = 687) across six organizations of various business sectors. The findings supported our proposed hypotheses and showed that individuals’ meaning in life mediated the linkage between autonomy support and suicide ideation. As suggested, hypothesized relations were moderated by employee’s disposition in such a way that autonomy support influences meaning in life of employees high on autonomy orientation, but not of employees low on autonomy orientation. The study discussed implications and future research avenues.