Effects of Perceived Stress and Religiosity on Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese Community Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study empirically examined the relationship between perceived stress, religiosity, and suicidal ideation among Chinese community workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the divergent views on the role of religiosity in suicidal ideation. This study used the Duke University Religion Index, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation to survey 11 communities in a Chinese provincial capital. Community workers participated in two-wave data collection over 12 months, yielding 446 valid responses. Controlling for gender, age, and income as covariates, the bias-corrected nonparametric percentile bootstrap method was used to test the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between perceived stress and suicidal ideation. The findings identified significant correlations among perceived stress, religiosity, and suicidal ideation. Perceived stress predicted suicidal ideation, whereas religiosity was a protective factor against it and moderated the effects of perceived stress on suicidal ideation. These findings contribute to a contextualized understanding of how psychological and cultural factors interact during times of crisis. While direct integration of religiosity into formal interventions may not be feasible or appropriate in all institutional contexts, these results highlight the importance of considering individual belief systems and culturally relevant coping resources in the design of mental health support strategies for high-stress occupational groups.