Studies regarding the extent to which meaning in life can serve as a protective factor against suicide risk among Chinese have yielded inconsistent results, making it challenging to determine whether enhancing meaning in life is an effective intervention for suicide risk. This study aims to clarify the relationship between meaning in life and suicide risk, as well as moderators, through a meta-analysis. We found that: (1) There was a significant medium to high negative correlation between various meaning in life indicators and suicide risk among Chinese. Specifically, the relationship between purpose in life and suicide risk was the closest; the search for meaning in life had a protective effect against suicide risk; and the correlation between different meaning in life indicators and suicidal ideation was stronger than that between these indicators and suicidal behavior risk. (2) The relationship between meaning in life and suicide risk was influenced by meaning in life indicators, suicide risk indicators, and gender to some extent. These results clarify the direction, strength, and moderators of the relationship between meaning in life and suicide risk among Chinese individuals, offering both theoretical and practical insights for suicide intervention research.
 

The Search for Meaning in Life, The Presence of Meaning in Life, Purpose in Life, Suicide risk, Suicidal Ideation, Meta-Analysis