The role of engaged living in the association between self-concealment and psychological distress among racially diverse college students in Hawaiʻi

Abstract

Self-concealment has been identified as a significant risk factor for negative mental health outcomes. Engaged living, defined as the process of living one's life according to deeply held values with life fulfillment, is one salutary construct that may serve as a protective factor in light of mental health-related risk factors. The present cross-sectional study investigated whether engaged living moderated the positive association between self-concealment and psychological distress in a sample of 1,074 racially diverse college students in Hawaiʻi. Upon the completion of informed consent, study participants completed an online self-report survey that included the measures of interest in the present study. Results revealed that self-concealment was positively associated with psychological distress. Moreover, the strength of the positive association between self-concealment and psychological distress was smaller in participants with high (vs. low) levels of engaged living, but this moderating effect was small. A subsequent post-hoc analysis revealed that the indirect effect of self-concealment on psychological distress manifested through engaged living. Conceptual and applied implications of the present findings, as well as future directions of this line of inquiry, are discussed.