Mindfulness and suicidal ideation in Chinese older adults: Perceived stress as mediator

We examined whether or not perceived stress mediates the relationship between mindfulness and suicidal ideation in Chinese older adults. Chinese adults aged from 48 to 59 years (N = 213) completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the first two items of the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Results showed that mindfulness was negatively correlated with perceived stress and suicidal ideation, whereas perceived stress was positively correlated with suicidal ideation. Mediation analysis results suggested that perceived stress fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness and suicidal ideation in Chinese older adults. Therefore, we suggest that it is helpful to focus on the enhancement of mindfulness of older adults, because their perceived stress levels may be decreased by greater mindfulness. It is plausible that older adults would then be less likely to develop severe suicidal ideation.