A majority of people experience potentially traumatic events but only a subsection develop negative psychological outcomes such as suicidal ideation. As these events may impact existing life-orienting systems, meaning-making processes are utilized to either assimilate new experiences into existing frameworks or revise existing schemas to accommodate novel incidents. The extent to which efficient meaning-making has occurred or the degree to which the events are integrated may be associated with the development of suicidal ideation. Therefore, this study investigated meanings-made as a moderator of the association between exposure to potentially traumatic life events and suicidal ideation. A total of 568 undergraduate students (Mage = 19.85 years, 69.4% females) completed the online questionnaires. The analyses indicated a significant moderation supporting the hypothesis. The results highlight meaning-making processes as a potential target for interventions directed at the reduction of suicide risk, particularly in individuals exposed to traumatic events.
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