The relationships of personality organization, mental illness attitudes and perspectives toward psychotherapy: The mediating role of emotional self-disclosure

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships between personality organization, Mental Illness Attitude (MIA), and Perspectives Toward Psychotherapy (PTP) with regard to the mediating role of Emotional Self-Disclosure (ESD) by utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). A sample of 266 outpatients with mental health disorders was selected using a purposive sampling method. Data collection involved the use of the Inventory of Personality Organization, The Illness Attitudes Scale, Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help-The10-item (ATSPPH-SF). The results revealed that personality organization, MIA, and ESD have significant associations with PTP. Also, MIA has a positive indirect relationship with PTP through ESD as a mediator, while personality organization negatively correlated to PTP through ESD. Personality organization, MIA, and ESD collectively accounted for 72.8% of the variance in PTP. Findings demonstrated an adequately fitting model about the direct and indirect associations of personality organization and MIA with PTP about the mediating role of ESD. This model has implications for psychotherapeutic and community-based initiatives in individuals with mental health disorders.