Does optimism weaken the negative effects of being lonely on suicide risk?

The present study investigated loneliness and optimism as predictors of suicide risk, specifically, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, in 457 Hungarian college students. Beyond the expected role of loneliness in suicide risk, being optimistic buffered the positive association between loneliness and suicide. The findings implicate the importance of fostering optimism for potentially lowering suicide risk among lonely college students.