Gratitude and grit indirectly reduce risk of suicidal ideations by enhancing meaning in life: Evidence for a mediated moderation model

• Suicide is a problem of widespread concern and research into protective factors is needed.
• Meaning in life may be protective, but it is not directly modifiable.
• We examine gratitude and grit as two factors that synergistically buffer suicide through increased meaning in life.
• We find that grit and gratitude indirectly buffer suicide over time through increases in meaning in life.
• Gratitude and grit are modifiable and can be used as part of a therapeutic intervention.

We examined meaning in life as a suicide resiliency factor. Since meaning in life may be hard to directly modify, we examine gratitude and grit as factors that synergistically confer resiliency to suicide by increasing meaning in life. Using a longitudinal study of 209 college students, we find that gratitude and grit interact such that individuals endorsing high gratitude and grit experience a near absence of suicidal ideations over time. Testing a mediated moderation model we find that grit and gratitude confer resiliency to suicide by increasing meaning in life. Our findings illustrating the importance of examining co-occurring personality factors as well as the mechanisms of these factors that can confer resiliency to suicide.