<p>To examine the mechanism of the relationship between crisis life events and suicidal ideation among college students, we explored the multiple chain mediating effects of social support, anxiety, and depression in the relationship by constructing a chain multiple mediation model. We reached out to 1,296 college students through a comprehensive questionnaire survey. The results indicated that crisis life events positively and significantly predict suicidal ideation. Significant correlations were found among crisis life events, social support, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in college students. After college students experience a crisis life event, higher levels of anxiety are more likely to predict depression, which in turn predicts higher suicidal ideation. Social support, anxiety, and depression play multiple chain mediating roles in the relationship between crisis life events and suicidal ideation in college students. The findings revealed the mechanism of the relationship between crisis life events and suicidal ideation among college students. We found that depression was a proximal, later-appearing predictor of suicidal ideation, whereas anxiety was a distal, earlier-appearing predictor. Higher levels of social support may mitigate suicidal ideation by decreasing anxiety and depression in college students, which in turn may reduce suicidal ideation.</p>