The role of resilience in the relationship between exposure to trauma and suicide ideation

The relationship between exposure to trauma and suicide ideation has been established in literature. It is thus important to gain a better understanding of the factors than can buffer the negative outcomes of trauma exposures. Resilience is deemed to play a role in this regard and the aim of this study was to determine if resilience moderates the relationship between trauma exposure and suicide ideation. A total of 1001 adolescent participants from various schools across the Free State province participated in the study, with ages ranging from 14 to 16 years. A quantitative, correlational, non-experimental design was used. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine the role of resilience in the relationship between trauma exposure and suicide ideation. The results indicated that resilience does indeed moderate the relationship between trauma exposure and suicide ideation. Individuals with lower resilience score higher on suicide ideation. In contrast, individuals with high resilience revealed significantly lower scores on suicide ideation. These results can aid therapists in assisting clients to deal with trauma by focusing on the strengthening of their resilience.