Background: Childhood maltreatment is linked to a higher risk of suicidal ideation, though the mechanisms are unclear. This study explored how childhood maltreatment relates to suicidal ideation in college students, focusing on the mediating roles of perceived social support and emotion regulation strategies. 
Methods: Data were collected from 2,052 college students (51.1% male; mean age = 18.33, SD = 0.71) across three universities. Participants completed online surveys measuring childhood maltreatment, perceived social support, emotion regulation strategies, suicidal ideation, and depression. A sequential mediation model tested the roles of perceived social support and emotion regulation strategies, controlling for demographic and depression.
Results: The results indicated that childhood maltreatment was positively associated with suicidal ideation. Perceived social support mediated this relationship. Sequential mediation analysis further revealed that perceived social support, along with adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, jointly mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation.
Conclusions: This study advances our understanding of the mechanisms linking childhood maltreatment to suicidal ideation by highlighting the roles of perceived social support and emotion regulation strategies. These findings suggest that enhancing perceived social support may be a critical target for suicide prevention efforts in college students with a history of childhood maltreatment.
Background: Childhood maltreatment is linked to a higher risk of suicidal ideation, though the mechanisms are unclear. This study explored how childhood maltreatment relates to suicidal ideation in college students, focusing on the mediating roles of perceived social support and emotion regulation strategies. 
Methods: Data were collected from 2,052 college students (51.1% male; mean age = 18.33, SD = 0.71) across three universities. Participants completed online surveys measuring childhood maltreatment, perceived social support, emotion regulation strategies, suicidal ideation, and depression. A sequential mediation model tested the roles of perceived social support and emotion regulation strategies, controlling for demographic and depression.
Results: The results indicated that childhood maltreatment was positively associated with suicidal ideation. Perceived social support mediated this relationship. Sequential mediation analysis further revealed that perceived social support, along with adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, jointly mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation.
Conclusions: This study advances our understanding of the mechanisms linking childhood maltreatment to suicidal ideation by highlighting the roles of perceived social support and emotion regulation strategies. These findings suggest that enhancing perceived social support may be a critical target for suicide prevention efforts in college students with a history of childhood maltreatment.

 

Childhood maltreatment; Perceived social support; Emotion regulation strategies; Suicidal ideation; College students