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. 2022 Dec 2;36(2):148–157. doi: 10.1080/08995605.2022.2151814

Impact of army morale on suicidal ideation: The mediating role of grit and the moderating role of social support in a Chinese Navy population

Outong Chen a, Ranran Liu b,✉, Xiaojing Zhao c
PMCID: PMC10880510  PMID: 38377245

ABSTRACT

This study constructed a moderated mediation model to examine whether increased army morale could reduce suicidal ideation. The mediating role of grit and the moderating role of social support were also examined. A total of 1029 male navy cadets in China were recruited to complete the survey. The measures used in the study included the Army Morale Scale, Grit Scale, Social Support Scale, and Self-rated Idea of Suicide Scale. The results indicated that: increased army morale could significantly reduce suicidal ideation; the impact of army morale on suicidal ideation could be partially mediated by grit; and social support moderated the impact of army morale on suicidal ideation. Specifically, relatively higher levels of social support could reduce suicidal ideation among individuals with lower levels of army morale, but the effect is not significant when the morale is at a high level. The study revealed that increased army morale could reduce suicidal ideation. Moreover, the mediating role of grit and the moderating role of social support were also revealed.

KEYWORDS: Army morale, suicide ideation, grit, social support, navy cadets

What is the public significance of this article?—The current study suggested that army morale could serve as a positive psychological construct to negatively predict suicidal ideation under the premise that suicide in the military context is becoming more and more serious. Moreover, it highlights the mediating role of grit and the moderating role of social support between army morale and suicidal ideation.

Introduction

Suicide is a grueling issue in many countries. According to the World Health Organization, there are nearly a billion people with mental disorders globally. Consistent with this, a suicide case occurs every 40 seconds (Mostafaie et al., 2015). Among these suicide cases, soldiers are considered to be the occupational category that may be particularly associated with a higher degree of suicidal behavior. A previous study conducted in France indicated that suicide risk in the French army was higher than that in the general population (Desjeux et al., 2004). Moreover, a study reported that the fatality rates among army suicide attempts were significantly higher than those among civilian suicide attempts (Nock et al., 2014). Similar problems are causing concern worldwide; for example, In the U.S., 160 soldiers committed suicide in 2009, bringing the suicide rate up to 21.7 per 100,000, a record high (Braswell & Kushner, 2012). The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs labeled veteran suicide prevention an urgent public health priority in 2017 (Wilks et al., 2019), as military veterans’ suicide rates have outpaced such rates in the general civilian population. Understanding underlying factors of suicide ideation may help aid in the development of suicide prevention interventions. Therefore, the current study aimed to reveal the potential effect of army morale on suicide ideation among male navy cadets and the mediating effect of grit, as well as the moderating effect of social support.

Previous studies have defined morale as the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently to pursue a common purpose (Leighton, 1949). Accordingly, army morale refers to a positive state of mind derived from inspired political and military leadership, a shared sense of purpose and values, well-being, perceptions of worth, and group cohesion (Murphy & Sharp, 2011). Some psychologists believe that army morale has two different aspects: personal and social (Li, 2006). On the social aspect, army morale refers to identification with the army unit. The higher the degree of alignment between individual and army unit goals, the higher the individual’s identification with the army unit. Such group cohesiveness resulting from army morale is also considered to be related to modern military effectiveness (Roy, 2010). On the personal aspect, army morale relates to a feeling of self-gratification and well-being. An individual’s high level of morale in the army is a state in which the needs of a soldier are adequately met or tend to be met. In conclusion, morale is more complicated than well-being, satisfaction, and positive emotions (Gal & Mangelsdorff, 1991). Gal and Mangelsdorff (1991) stated that morale is related to many factors on the individual level, such as psychological needs, health, and sleep. Based on previous opinions, the current study hypothesizes that the degree of army morale could negatively predict suicidal ideation.

In contrast to actual suicide behaviors, suicidal ideation refers to the intention to harm oneself without taking actions that threaten one’s survival (Lin et al., 2018). Generally, individuals will first generate suicidal ideation before they commit suicidal actions (Jiang, 2015), thus making suicidal ideation an important predictor of suicidal behavior. A study on college freshmen reported that higher levels of satisfaction with life and happiness are related to lower levels of suicidal ideation (Liu et al., 2012). Jin and Jie (1998) also revealed that both physical and psychological well-being could negatively predict suicidal ideation, and psychological well-being is a much stronger predictor than physical well-being. In line with the personal aspect of army morale, such as a feeling of higher self-gratification and well-being (Li, 2006), these studies provided indirect evidence that there may be a potential relationship between the level of army morale and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, on the social aspect of army morale, the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide from Joiner (2005) suggested that suicide ideation would not lead an individual to commit suicide without two key factors: the desire for suicide and the ability to commit suicide. In developing a desire for suicide, perceived burdensomeness and a sense of low belongingness or social alienation may be a leading factor (Joiner et al., 2009). In addition to the social aspect of army morale, such as group identification, alignment, and cohesiveness (Li, 2006), the previous opinions again supported our hypothesis that there may be a potential relationship between army morale and suicidal ideation. Thus, we propose the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis 1. Level of army morale will be negatively correlated with suicidal ideation.

Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. It involves the ability to work strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over the years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress (A. L. Duckworth et al., 2007). Although the constructs of grit and resilience may be confused as being similar, they are considerably different. Resilience refers to the ability to maintain or regain mental health after experiencing difficulty or adversity (Herrman et al., 2011). It is the key for an individual to “bounce back” from negative emotional experiences (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). From this point of view, resilience is an inherent attribute of grit by definition (Stoffel & Cain, 2018). Grit emphasizes long-term stamina rather than short-term intensity (A. L. Duckworth & Eskreis-Winkler, 2013). Conceptually, grit has a clear link with the demands required for successful performance in military units (Kelly et al., 2014). In the military context, a study conducted at West Point suggests that grittier cadets are more likely to make it through the first arduous summer (A. L. Duckworth & Quinn, 2009). Other evidence indicates that grit is key to pursuing challenging and long-term goals; it is highly associated with self-success (A. Duckworth & Gross, 2014). Furthermore, this motivation is consistent with the notion of army morale. Bester and Stanz (2007) stated that combat readiness is a bridge connecting army morale and motivation within the military context. Thus, army morale and grit may have a potential relationship. Moreover, the notion of grit is also consistent with the personal aspects of army morale from Li (2006), who indicated that morale is associated with feelings of self-gratification, pursuing individual goals, army units’ goals. In conclusion, grit may be associated with army morale.

Additionally, previous studies have also shown that grit is an important protective factor against suicide (White et al., 2017). One important factor in suicidal ideation is hopelessness. Unlike depression, hopelessness is thought to be an individual’s negative orientation toward the future (Lamis et al., 2014). In the notion of grit, former researchers mentioned the passion for long-term goals, challenges, maintaining effort and interest, and so on (A. L. Duckworth et al., 2007). Grit functions as a mental source for maintaining life goals and meaning in life. Previous evidence has illustrated that grit could confer resiliency to suicidal ideation by increasing meaning in life (Kleiman et al., 2013). In conclusion, grit is highly correlated with army morale and has an inhibitory effect on suicidal ideation. We propose the following second hypothesis:

Hypothesis 2. Grit could mediate the relationship between army morale and suicidal ideation.

Seeman (1996) suggested that social support refers to information from others affirming that one is loved and cared for, esteemed, and valued; it is part of a network of communication and mutual obligations. Social support may come from a spouse or companion, relatives, friends, coworkers, and community ties. As social support inherently involves relationships among individuals, how it is practiced should be viewed within specific contexts (Kim et al., 2008). In a military context, Li (2006) suggested that the social aspect of army morale consists of identity, alignment, and cohesiveness between individuals and the army unit. Some previous studies considered social support an important dimension of army morale, as measured by questionnaires (Pastor Álvarez et al., 2020). Griffith (1989) indicated that social support functions as a social resource that could replenish army morale. This conclusion is supported by another study by Vaitkus and Griffith (1990), who found that mitigated deterioration of morale and cohesion in the army unit is accompanied by perceived social support and peer affiliation. Kelly et al. (2014) suggested that the training and demands in today’s army have become increasingly severe. Soldiers now have more frequent and longer deployment, which leads to less time with family members, friends, and communities. West Point soldiers/cadets training together could facilitate not only the acquisition of military skills, but also socialization and army unit identification. In conclusion, social support is associated with army morale.

Social support is also considered essential for mental health. Previous studies have reported that social support could protect one from stress (Parasuraman et al., 2010), anxiety (Hipkins et al., 2004), and suicidal ideation (Xiao et al., 2020). Individuals may express their need for support to their close others and provide support to them when they experience negative events (Kim et al., 2008). Scheid and Brown (2010) suggest that social support can buffer or moderate the negative influence of life stress, thus maintaining mental health. In addition, some research has indicated that providing social support may result in the same benefits as receiving it (Taylor, 2011). Within the military context, social support from comrades in army units may play an important role in buffering stress from daily hard training, tension, stress, and isolation from family members and friends. Thus, social support is associated with both army morale and suicidal ideation. We propose the following third hypothesis:

Hypothesis 3. Social support could moderate the relationship between army morale and suicidal ideation.

Building on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide of Joiner (2005), the current study aimed to explore the relationship between army morale, grit, social support, and suicidal ideation. From Joiner’s two factor perspective (Joiner et al., 2009), we hypothesize that army morale as a positive psychological construct may help prevent the desire for suicide, and grit and social support may be self-preservation factors to buffer the ability to commit suicide. Specifically, we hypothesized that army morale could negatively predict suicidal ideation and that this relationship would be mediated by grit and moderated by social support. Based on Hayes (2013) suggestions regarding the combination of mediation and moderation models, if grit mediates the relationship between army morale and suicidal ideation, and social support moderates this relationship, a moderated mediation model is constructed. The proposed moderated mediation model is illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Figure 1.

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Theoretical moderated mediation model.

Method

Participants

Based on the cluster sampling method, 1029 navy cadets from 20 classes at a military university in China were recruited in December 2020. All participants were male, aged 18–28 (Mage = 21.29, SDage = 1.53). The participants’ superiors implemented the data collection, which was conducted during a lunch break. Participants provided written informed consent and then completed a series of questionnaires in random order through a paper-and-pencil task. Furthermore, all questionnaires were completed anonymously to ensure the validity of this study. After all the participants had completed the questionnaires, they were thanked and given a notebook as a small gift. All procedures in this study were approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee for Non-clinical Faculties at School of Psychology, Qingdao University (No. 2021-2-003). This study was performed per the Declaration of Helsinki.

Measurements

Army morale scale (AMS)

The AMS is a single-factor scale adopted from Zhu (2019) to measure the morale levels of individuals in the army. In the AMS, participants were asked to respond to 25 items scaled from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), with higher scores representing higher morale levels. Taking item 4 as an example, the statement in the scale is that All the members are proud to be part of the team. Among the 25 items, items 3 and 25 were reverse-scored. For example, members of the team did not show determination in completing tasks. In addition, items 8 and 14 were set as reliability/consistency items. For example, item 14 (all members are not proud to be part of the team) is a reversed statement of item 4. If the score of item 14 is not the opposite of item 4, this may indicate that the answer is not reliable. The total score of the AMS served as the independent variable in the hypothetical model. The AMS showed adequate internal consistency in this study (full-scale Cronbach’s α = 0.97).

Grit scale (GS)

The GS was adopted from Yao and Cui (2019) to measure participants’ grit levels in this study. Participants were asked to respond to each item on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (all the time), with higher scores representing higher grit levels. This scale consists of 24 items, and sample items are as follows: As long as I have planned something, I would always complete it conscientiously. The total score of the GS served as the mediating variable in the hypothetical model. The Cronbach’s α of GS in this study was 0.90.

Social support scale (SSS)

Participants’ social support was measured using the SSS (Cheng et al., 2021). The SSS consists of 17 items assessed on a scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (all the time), with higher scores representing higher social support levels. An example item from the scale is: I can rely on my family and friends in my difficult times. The total score of the SSS served as the moderating variable in the hypothetical model. The SSS showed adequate internal consistency in this study (full-scale Cronbach’s α = 0.96).

Self-rating idea of suicide scale (SIOSS)

Participants’ suicide ideation was measured using SIOSS (Xiong et al., 2017). The SIOSS consists of 26 items to form four dimensions. Each question was answered with “yes” or “no” (0 = yes, 1 = no), with higher scores representing higher levels of suicidal ideation. An example item in the scale is I often feel pessimistic and disappointed. The sum of the first three dimensions (sleep, desperation, and optimism) was used to assess suicidal ideation. The last conceal dimension was set to detect whether the participants finished the scale with concealment. Scores higher than four on this dimension indicate concealment of the answer, and exclusion of the data is suggested. The total score of the SIOSS served as the dependent variable in the hypothetical model. In this study, the SIOSS showed adequate internal consistency and full-scale Cronbach’s α = 0.88.

Data analysis

Some missing data of the current study were handled with mean imputation (Little & Rubin, 2002). Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) for Windows version 25. Following the steps of Chen et al. (2022), Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between army morale, grit, social support, and suicidal ideation. Among the variables, age was included as a covariate. Gender was not included in the analysis because all participants were male cadets. To further test our hypothetical moderated mediation model, the PROCESS macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2013) was used in the subsequent analysis. First, the raw scores were transformed to z-scores before testing the moderated mediation effect to obtain standardized regression coefficients. Second, model 4 from PROCESS was used to test the mediation effect of empathy in this study. Third, model 5 from PROCESS was used to test the full moderated mediation model. Specifically, the bootstrapping method was applied to test for the significance of the effects to obtain robust standard errors for parameter estimation (Chi et al., 2019). This method produced 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (CIs) for these effects from 1,000 resamples of the data. CIs that do not contain zero indicate significant effects.

Common method bias

All questionnaires were collected anonymously, and some reverse-scored items were set to control for common method bias. A Harman single-factor method (Chen et al., 2022) was adopted during the data analysis to examine the common method bias. Exploratory factor analysis obtained a total of 14 factors, and the interpretation rate of the first factor was 26.57%, which is less than the 40% threshold, beyond which results are considered unreliable. The results indicated that no serious common method bias existed in this study.

Results

Bivariate analyses

Before testing the hypothetical model of the current study, a preliminary correlational analysis was conducted to reveal potential relationships between each variable. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was calculated using SPSS 25.0, and Table 1 shows the correlations between variables. After controlling for age as a covariate, army morale was significantly correlated with the other variables, including grit (r = 0.42, p < .001, 95% CI [0.37, 0.47]), social support (r = 0.48, p < .001, 95% CI [0.43, 0.52]), and suicidal ideation (r = −0.28, p < .001, 95% CI [−0.33, −0.22]). Additionally, grit was significantly correlated with social support (r = 0.45, p < .001, 95% CI [0.40, 0.50]) and suicidal ideation (r = −0.32, p < .001, 95% CI [−0.37, −0.26]). Social support was also negatively correlated with suicidal ideation, (r = −0.26, p < .001, 95% CI [−0.32, −0.20]).

Table 1.

Descriptive statistics and inter-correlations between variables.

Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5
1. Army morale 94.56 17.59 1        
2. Grit 78.40 11.72 0.42*** 1      
3. Social support 67.15 12.09 0.48*** 0.45*** 1    
4. Suicide ideation 2.95 4.04 −0.28*** −0.32*** −0.26*** 1  
5. Age 21.29 1.53 −0.00 0.09** 0.09** −0.06 1
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M = mean; SD = standard deviation; **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Testing for the mediation model

The mediation effect of grit was tested using model 4 in SPSS PROCESS. The results may explain whether the predictive effect of army morale is transmitted to suicidal ideation through grit. After controlling for age, the results showed that army morale could negatively predict suicidal ideation (β = −0.28, t = −9.20, p < .001). This predictive effect remains significant even after putting the mediation variable of grit into the model, (β = −0.17, t = −5.42, p < .001). Moreover, army morale had a significant predictive effect on grit, (β = 0.42, t = 14.90, p < .001). The negative predictive effect of grit on suicidal ideation was also significant, (β = −0.24, t = −7.45, p < .001). As hypothesized, grit partially mediated the significant predictive effect of army morale on suicidal ideation. The direct effect size was −0.17, 95% CI (−0.33, −0.22), and the completely standardized indirect effect was −0.10, 95% CI (−0.15, −0.06), accounting for 63.33% and 36.67% of the total effect, respectively (see, Table 2 and Figure 2).

Table 2.

Testing the mediation effect of GS.

Predictors (IV) Model 1
(DV: suicide ideation)
 Model 2
(DV: grit)
 Model 3
(DV: suicide ideation)
β t β t β t
Army morale −0.28 −9.20*** 0.42 14.90*** −0.17 −5.42***
Grit         −0.24 −7.45***
Age −0.06 −1.91 0.09 3.04** −0.04 −1.25
R2 0.08 0.18 0.13
F 44.17*** 115.53*** 49.50***
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Variables in the models are standardized; IV = independent variable; DV = dependent variable; *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Figure 2.

Figure 2.

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Test of the mediating effect of grit in the association between army morale and suicidal ideation. The numbers are standardized regression coefficients. Paths between controlled variable (age) and each of the variables in the model are not displayed. ***p < .001.

Testing for the moderated mediation model

Moderated mediation effect refers to mediation models involving relations that “require the addition of a moderator for either the direct effect, indirect effect, or both.” (Preacher et al., 2007). Thus, Model 5 in SPSS PROCESS was adopted to examine the moderated mediation model in the current study. As shown in Table 3 and Figure 3, after controlling for age as a covariate, the results of model 1 in the moderated mediation analysis revealed that army morale had a significant predictive effect on grit (β = 0.42, t = 14.90, p < .001). Furthermore, the results of model 2 in the moderated mediation analysis revealed that the predictive effect of grit (β = −0.23, t = −6.87, p < .001) and social support (β = −0.08, t = −2.46, p < .05) on suicidal ideation were both significant. The predictive effect of army morale on suicidal ideation in model 2 of the moderated mediation analysis was still significant (β = −0.11, t = −3.23, p < .01). Moreover, there was a significant interaction between army morale and social support on suicidal ideation (β = 0.15, t = 5.70, p < .001). As shown in Figure 4 (Aiken & West, 1991), the following simple slope analysis revealed that the effect of army morale on suicidal ideation was significant only when the social support was low (bsimple = −0.26, t = −6.58, p < .001, 95% CI [−0.34, −0.19]). However, this effect was no longer significant when social support was high (bsimple = 0.04, t = 0.90, p = .37, 95% CI [−0.05, 0.13]).

Table 3.

Testing the moderated mediation model.

Predictors (IV) Model 1
(DV: grit)
 Model 2
(DV: suicide ideation)
β t β t
Army morale 0.42 14.90*** −0.11 −3.23**
Grit     −0.23 −6.87***
Social support     −0.08 −2.46*
Army morale×social support     0.15 5.70***
Age 0.09 3.04** −0.03 −0.97
R2 0.18 0.16
F 115.53*** 38.81***
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Variables in the models are standardized; IV = independent variable; DV = dependent variable; *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Figure 3.

Figure 3.

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Test of the moderating effect of social support on the association between army morale and suicidal ideation. The numbers are standardized regression coefficients. Paths between controlled variables (age) and each of the variables in the models are not displayed. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Figure 4.

Figure 4.

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The moderating effect of social support on the relation between army morale and suicide ideation. Variables in the models are standardized. Army morale and social support are graphed for two levels: 1 standard deviation above the mean is high level, and 1 standard deviation below the mean is low level, ***p < .001.

Discussion

The current study investigated the relationship between army morale and suicidal ideation. The mediating role of grit and the moderating role of social support were also investigated. The results revealed that army morale negatively predicted suicidal ideation. Moreover, the predictive effect was mediated by grit and moderated by social support. Specifically, relatively higher levels of army morale could lead to higher levels of grit, which in turn reduces suicidal ideation. Furthermore, the moderated mediation analysis suggested that social support also has a predictive effect on suicidal ideation. However, such an effect is significant only when army morale is low. It is not significant when army morale is high.

This study contributed to existing literature in a number of ways. First, the current study examined the direct effect between army morale and suicidal ideation from the hypothetical model of the current study and demonstrated that increased army morale could significantly reduce suicidal ideation among cadets. This conclusion is consisted with previous findings (Chen, Liu et al., 2022) and previous discussions about the notion of army morale. Li (2006) proposed that army morale has both personal and social aspects. The social aspect refers to the shared effect of strong identity with the army unit. According to the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (Joiner et al., 2009), better social relationships could significantly reduce suicidal ideation. Moreover, with regard to the personal aspect of army morale, feelings of self-gratification and well-being have been related to reduced suicidal ideation. According to Liu et al. (2012), college freshmen with higher levels of satisfaction and happiness reported relatively lower levels of suicidal ideation. Based on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, individuals will not commit suicide without (1) the desire or (2) the ability to do so. Given that army units face a higher risk of suicide than the general population (Hoyt & Duffy, 2015), the current study revealed that army morale might serve as a positive psychological construct and negatively predict suicidal ideation.

Second, the role of grit between army morale and suicidal ideation was revealed by the mediation analysis. The results showed that the predictive effect of army morale on suicidal ideation was partially mediated by grit. Grit refers to perseverance and passion for long-term goals (A. L. Duckworth et al., 2007). It plays an important role in pursuing challenging and long-term goals, thus achieving self-success (A. Duckworth & Gross, 2014). Research at West Point showed that grittier cadets are more likely to make it through the first arduous summer compared to the less gritty cadets (A. L. Duckworth & Quinn, 2009). From this perspective, grit is consistent with the notion of army morale. Army morale is related to pursuing a common goal (Leighton, 1949), self-gratification, and well-being (Li, 2006). Bester and Stanz (2007) suggested that army morale and grit both correlate with combat readiness; thus, they are correlated with each other. Additionally, grit is also a key factor in suicidal ideation. Some researchers have suggested that grit is highly related to resilience (Stoffel & Cain, 2018). Grit refers to the ability to pursue a goal consistently, while resilience refers to the ability to recover from negative experiences and emotions (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). White et al. (2017) suggested that grit is an important protective factor against suicide; it could confer resiliency to suicidal ideation by increasing meaning in life (Kleiman et al., 2013). The bivariate analysis of the current study illustrates that army morale and grit are positively correlated. The subsequent mediation analysis also showed that grit partially mediated the significant predictive effect of army morale on suicidal ideation. According to the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, army morale is not only a protective factor against the desire to commit suicide but also has a facilitation effect on grit, thus promoting stronger self-preservation mechanisms against negative life events that may lead to suicide (Blalock et al., 2015), such as hard training, tension, combat stress, and isolation from family members and friends in the military context.

Finally, the current study examined the moderating role of social support in the hypothetical model. The results indicated that the negative predictive effect of army morale on suicidal ideation is mediated by social support. When the army morale level is low, social support can significantly reduce suicidal ideation. However, this effect is not significant among individuals with relatively medium or high levels of army morale. Previous studies have indicated that social support plays an important role in individuals’ mental health, such as reducing distress (Kim et al., 2008; Scheid & Brown, 2010), anxiety (Hipkins et al., 2004), and suicidal ideation (Xiao et al., 2020). As Kelly et al. (2014) indicated, training and demands in today’s army have become increasingly severe, and in turn, lead to separation from one’s family members, friends, and community. According to the notion of social support, the weaker the social support, the less information, communication, and mutual obligations one will receive from close others (Seeman, 1996). Thus, less perceived social support would lead to relatively higher levels of suicidal ideation. This is consistent with the interpersonal-psychological theory (Joiner et al., 2009) and may help explain why soldiers are considered to be the occupational category that is particularly associated with suicide. Moreover, social support could play a compensatory role in army morale. The notion of army morale involves a feeling of identity with the army units and alignment between individual and army unit goals (Li, 2006). It is reasonable that when the social relations of the cadets are impaired, relations with comrades in army units could make up for such defects. This may help explain the results of the current study that social support could negatively predict suicidal ideation only when army morale is low. Thus, we suggest that social support is an important compensatory source of army morale. In conclusion, the current study is novel in revealing the interaction between army morale and social support on suicidal ideation. That is, when army morale is low, social support could make up for such insufficiency and thus further reduce suicidal ideation. The current conclusion may give army units possible actions to prevent army suicide issues from deteriorating, such as building stronger morale and more harmonious interpersonal relations.

Limitations

There are several limitations to this study that should be addressed in future. First, the conclusions were based only on questionnaire measures, and stronger evidence from causal experiments is needed to consolidate causal inferences, such as behavioral manipulations. Second, the current study was tested on only one population group of cadets, and only male cadets were sampled. More diverse samples, such as those including older and more experienced military service members, may be needed to validate and generalize the conclusions of this study. Third, the current study proposed that social support might play a compensatory role in army morale. However, further research is needed to support this conclusion. Fourth, the predictive effect of army morale on suicidal ideation in the current study was relatively small. This may indicate the influence of potential mediators and moderators, which future studies should consider investigating.

Conclusion

The current study took an important step in examining the relationship between army morale and suicidal ideation. The results indicate that army morale could significantly reduce individuals’ suicidal ideation. Furthermore, this effect is partially mediated by grit and moderated by social support. The moderated mediation analysis indicated that relatively higher levels of social support could reduce suicide ideation among individuals with lower levels of army morale, but the effect was not significant when army morale was medium or high. The current study advances our understanding of how army morale could buffer the negative effects of suicidal ideation. Additionally, we suggest that social support is an important compensatory source of army morale for soldiers.

Funding Statement

The current study did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Data availability statement

The datasets analyzed for this study can be found in the Open Science Framework [https://osf.io/c9sxa/?view_only=33d091be0ffc4810821e50382391b4a8].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Associated Data

This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

Data Availability Statement

The datasets analyzed for this study can be found in the Open Science Framework [https://osf.io/c9sxa/?view_only=33d091be0ffc4810821e50382391b4a8].

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