Abstract

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.