To investigate the relationship among five personality factors, negative life events and suicidal tendency of college students, so as to provide reference for college students' suicide prevention.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 885 college students in Xi'an city, Shaanxi province. A comprehensive college, a science and engineering college and a liberal arts college were selected respectively. Three questionnaires were applied to all subjects, including big five personality questionnaire, life event questionnaire and scale of adolescents' suicide tendency. Hierarchical regression model was adopted to analyzed the relationship of big five personality traits, negative life events and suicide tendency. Pearson correlation analysis and mediating effect test were conducted by using SPSS 20.0 software.

There was no significant interaction between gender and negative life events on suicidal tendency (β=-0.03, t=-0.96, P>0.05). Conscientiousness(β=-0.12, t=-4.06, P<0.01), neuroticism (β=0.24, t=7.54, P<0.01), agreeableness(β=-0.15, t=-3.65, P<0.01), extroversion (β=-0.27, t=-8.56, P<0.01) and openness (β=-0.12, t=-3.38, P<0.01)in Big Five personality had significant moderating effect on the relationship between negative life events and suicidal tendency. High conscientiousness, high agreeableness, high extroversion and high openness had protective effect on the relationship between negative life events and suicidal ideation. High neuroticism was a risk factor of the relationship between negative life events and suicidal tendency.

The five factors of personality are closely related with negative life events and suicidal ideation. The five factors of personality can regulate the relationship between life events and suicidal tendency.

Big five personality; Negative life events; Suicide tendency; Moderation effect