Self‐concealment and suicidality: Mediating roles of unmet interpersonal needs and attitudes toward help‐seeking

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Abstract
Objective: We investigated the relationship between self‐concealment—a tendency to hide distressing information—and suicidality, via two mediators: (a) unmet interpersonal needs and (b) help‐seeking attitudes.Method: A sample of young adults (18–25 years) was recruited online to complete a self‐report survey questionnaire (n = 245). A parallel multiple mediation model was analyzed using the PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2013, Methodology in the social sciences. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression‐based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press) in SPSS.Results: There was a significant positive relationship between self‐concealment and suicidality. This relationship was partially mediated by unmet interpersonal needs. Although self‐concealment was associated with more negative attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, these help‐seeking attitudes were not significantly related to suicidality.Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of interpersonal factors in suicide. Unmet interpersonal needs emerged as a mechanism by which self‐concealment contributes to increased suicidality. We review implications for research, clinical practice, and prevention.
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  • Cleveland State University

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