Beyond the Degree: Psychological Pathways to Suicidal Ideation Among Unemployed Graduates

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this correlational study was to examine how impostor syndrome and self-esteem deficits predict suicidal ideation among purposively selected 300 unemployed graduates by exploring the role of depression and self-burdensomeness in the stated relationship. Method: The data were collected using the Impostor Syndrome Scale, Self-Esteem Deficits Scale, Suicidal Ideation Scale, Depression Scale, and Self-Burden Questionnaire via purposive sampling. Results: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS V25) was used for analyses, including Pearson's correlation, multiple regression, mediation analysis, and independent-samples t-tests. Results indicated that impostor syndrome and self-esteem deficits have a significant positive correlation with suicidal ideation. Furthermore, depression significantly mediates the relationship between impostor syndrome and suicidal ideation, whereas self-burdensomeness significantly mediates the relationship between self-esteem deficits and suicidal ideation. Significant gender differences in self-esteem deficits, suicidal ideation, depression, and self-burdensomeness were found except for impostor syndrome.