Objective To explore the risk factors for suicidal ideation among the relatives and friends of suicide victims through psychological support hotline.Methods Calls from the relatives and friends of suicide victims to the Beijing psychological support hotline between 2009 and 2023 were included.Their current suicidal ideation was assessed by asking whether they had suicidal thoughts in the past two weeks.Demographic information of the callers was collected and the severity of their depression was assessed using the depression diagnostic screening scale.Interviews were conducted to evaluate distress,sense of hope,history of suicide attempts,and suicide risk factors.Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for suicidal ideation among callers.Results A total of 360 cases were included in this study.There were 50.3%(181 cases)of the callers reporting suicidal ideation within 2 weeks before the call.Years of education(OR=0.86,95%CI:0.79-0.94)and high levels of hope(OR=0.19,95%CI:0.11-0.32)were protective factors against suicidal ideation in callers.History of suicide attempts(OR=2.01,95%CI:1.20-3.36),high levels of distress(OR=3.28,95%CI:1.92-5.61),and high levels of depression(OR=1.73,95%CI:1.05-2.84)were independent risk factors for suicidal ideation in callers.Conclusions History of suicide attempts,high levels of distress and high levels of depression among the relatives and friends of suicide victims calling the psychological support hotline are risk factors for their own suicidal ideation.