title: Guarded self-disclosure predicts psychological distress and willingness to use psychological services among East Asian immigrants in the United States.
abstract: This study examined the relationship between guarded self-disclosure, psychological distress, and willingness to use psychological services if distressed among 170 (88 male, 82 female) East Asian immigrants in the United States. Participants were administered a battery of psychometrically established measures. Participants who endorsed overall guarded self-disclosure, self-concealment (i.e., unwillingness to reveal affect to others), or conflict avoidance (i.e., maintenance of harmony via suppression of feelings) were significantly more likely to report psychological distress and were significantly less likely to report willingness to use psychological services. While conflict avoidance was a significant independent predictor of psychological distress, self-concealment was a significant independent predictor of willingness to use psychological services. These findings point to the importance of assessing multiple facets of guarded self-disclosure, which appear to be differentially associated with psychological distress and willingness to use psychological services.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06519-1187, USA.
authors.forename: Declan T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Trina C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mizrahi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005202:Asia, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011336:Probability; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States