OpenLB
Open Library of Bioscience

To examine how the degree of mental illness disclosure and disclosure strategies are associated with psychological and physical well-being among college students. : Participants were 181 undergraduate students from two American universities who self-identified as having been diagnosed with mental illness. Participants completed an online survey, which included measures of mental illness disclosure and a range of outcome measures (e.g., life satisfaction, self-report somatic complaints). The degree of mental illness disclosure was positively related to well-being outcomes. After controlling for the effect of the degree of self-disclosure, a direct disclosure strategy was positively associated with well-being outcomes, whereas disclosure strategies involving entrapment, humor, and indirect medium were related to poorer well-being outcomes. Results suggest that the degree of mental illness disclosure and the manner in which individuals disclose their mental illness to others may have implications to the well-being of individuals living with mental illness.