Uncovering the mechanism linking education expectation and suicide ideation among students in tertiary education: The mediating role of academic burnout, psychache, and hopelessness

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337831 December 18, 2025 3 / 16 between different sources of educational expectations on student mental health. High self-expectations have been asso- ciated with better motivation and academic achievement among students [19,20] but may also lead to increased distress [21]. Expectations from parents and family members have been linked to increased psychological distress [22–24] and suicidal tendencies [25]. For example, students who enrol in university due to parental pressure report greater stress than those who enrol willingly [26]. Educators also impose high expectations that negatively impact a student’s self-esteem [19] and is positively associated with academic distress and burnout [27,28]. The sociocultural environment is a macro source of expectations. For example, the Confucian Heritage Culture that permeates most of East Asia places great importance on academic success as a means of upward social mobility and a child’s obligation toward their family [29,30]. This theory has been used to explain why Asian or ethic Asian students experience a greater degree of academic pressure and a higher risk of poor mental health than their Western counterparts [31]. While the link between educational expectations, poor mental health, and suicide risk is well established, the underlying mechanism between expectations and suicide remains unclear. Not all students who are under intense educational expectations develop suicidal tendencies. It is also

unclear which source of expectations presents a greater risk and if the risk varies across cultures. Academic burnout Academic burnout is psychological distress characterized by emotional exhaustion from academic demands, feeling cyni- cal about studying, and a perceived inadequacy as a student [16,32]. Increased academic burnout is associated with poor academic performance and cognitive functioning [33]. A meta-analysis found that the adverse effect of academic burnout on performance is robust across different educational levels [34]. Several studies have also found a positive association between academic burnout and suicidal ideation [35,36]. Burnout is a result of a discrepancy between a task and the capacity to complete the task [37]. The Job Demand-Control (JDC) model postulates that an individual is likely to experience distress when there is high demand but low autonomy [38]. The increased pressure to fulfil high expectations and demands imposed by oneself and others requires the exertion of pro- longed effort, which can be emotionally, physically, and psychologically taxing to students [39]. Moreover, expectations that are imposed by others reflect a poor sense of autonomy, which is likely to cause exhaustion and cynicism [40]. In contrast, expectations from the self reflect greater autonomy and therefore a reduced risk of distress and exhaustion [41]. As such, we propose that academic burnout may explain the link between educational expectations and suicidal ideation. The Three-step theory of suicide

The Three-step Theory (3ST) of suicide [42] views suicide as a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Step one suggests that passive suicidal ideation is formed from an intense experience of psychological pain or psychache and hopelessness. The experience of psychache can manifest as feelings of depression, guilt, shame, defeat, or fatigue, which decreases the desire to continue living in a painful existence. Hopelessness is necessary as someone who perceives that the psychache may go away or improve will not develop thoughts of escape by suicide compared to someone who perceives they will gain no respite. In step two, suicidal ideation intensifies when someone has a poor sense of connectedness that provides meaning to one’s life, thus leading the person to feel like their life is not worth living [43,44]. In step three, suicide ideation transitions into an attempt when the capacity for suicide is present. The capacity for suicide includes dispositional capacity (e.g., high pain tolerance), acquired capacity (e.g., history of abuse), and practical capacity (e.g., access to lethal means) [42]. The presence of a suicide capacity increases the likelihood of an attempt and the risk of death. The present study Youth suicide is preventable, and insight into the mechanisms of suicide development is necessary to inform research and prevention. High expectations can lead to negative psychological outcomes [19,25,26], which are manifestations of