Testing the Associations Among Subjective Social Status, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicide Ideation in U.S. College Students: Single and Serial Mediation Models

Contextualized within the Social Rank Theory, this study examined interpersonal anti-mattering (IAM), existential insignificance concern (EIC) and anxiety (EIA) as single and serial mediators on the association from subjective social status (SSS) to depressive symptoms (DEP) and to suicide ideation (SI) among 956 U.S. college students. Using a cross-sectional approach, bivariate correlations of SSS, IAM, EIC, EIA, DEP, and SI were examined. Single and serial mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether IAM, EIC, and EIA mediated the SSS-DEP link and the SSS-SI link, both independently and jointly. SSS was negatively correlated with DEP and SI. Single mediation analyses revealed that IAM and EIC, but not EIA, mediated the SSS-DEP link and the SSS-SI link, respectively. Serial mediation analyses indicated that both the SSS-DEP link and the SSS-SI link were mediated by IAM, EIC, and EIA in a sequential manner. Conceptual implications of the Social Rank Theory and practical implications are discussed.