Journals / Kıbrıs Türk Psikiyatri ve Psikoloji Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 5 Sayı: 2

The Relationship Between Self-Silencing and General Distress: Does Self-Esteem Play a Mediating Role?

Kendini Susturma ve Genel Sıkıntı Arasındaki İlişki: Benlik Saygısı Aracı Bir Rol Oynuyor Mu?

Feridun Kaya(ATATÜRK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-9549-6691
Pages
95–104
Publication Date
2023-06-27
DOI
—
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature and offered some recommendations to researchers in the context of preventive mental health.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between self-silencing, self-esteem, and general distress, and to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between self-silencing and general distress. 427 women who had a romantic relationship participated in the study.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The age of the university students participating in this cross-sectional study ranged from 18 to 31, with a mean age of 20.70.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature and offered some recommendations to researchers in the context of preventive mental health.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Kendini susturma · Benlik saygısı · Depresyon

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between self-silencing, self-esteem, and general distress, and to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between self-silencing and general distress. 427 women who had a romantic relationship participated in the study. The age of the university students participating in this cross-sectional study ranged from 18 to 31, with a mean age of 20.70. The Self-Silencing Scale, Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem Scale, DASS-42 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale), and personal information form were applied to women. According to the findings, a negative significant relationship was found between self-silencing and self-esteem. On the other hand, positive significant relationships were found between self-silencing and depression, anxiety and stress. According to another finding of the study, self-esteem had a mediating role in the relationship between self-silencing and depression, anxiety and stress. When generally assessed, the indirect effects of self-silencing on general distress were found to be significant. Findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature and offered some recommendations to researchers in the context of preventive mental health.

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, kendini susturma, benlik saygısı ve genel sıkıntı arasındaki ilişkileri incelemek ve kendini susturma ile genel sıkıntı arasındaki ilişkide benlik saygısının aracı rolünü araştırmaktır. Çalışmaya romantik ilişkisi olan 427 kadın katılmıştır. Bu kesitsel araştırmaya katılan üniversite öğrencilerinin yaşları 18 ile 31 arasında değişmekte olup, yaş ortalaması 20.70'dir. Kadınlara Kendini Susturma Ölçeği, İki Boyutlu Benlik Saygısı Ölçeği, DASS-42 (Depresyon, Kaygı ve Stres Ölçeği) ve kişisel bilgi formu uygulanmıştır. Bulgulara göre, kendini susturma ile benlik saygısı arasında negatif yönde anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Öte yandan, kendini susturma ile depresyon, kaygı ve stres arasında pozitif yönde anlamlı ilişkiler bulunmuştur. Araştırmanın bir diğer bulgusuna göre, kendini susturma ile depresyon, kaygı ve stres arasındaki ilişkide benlik saygısı aracılık rolü üstlenmiştir. Genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde, kendini susturmanın genel sıkıntı üzerindeki dolaylı etkileri anlamlı bulunmuştur. Bulgular ilgili literatür doğrultusunda tartışılmış ve koruyucu ruh sağlığı bağlamında araştırmacılara önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

🔖

Cite This Article

Kaya, M. D., Kaya, F. (2023). The Relationship Between Self-Silencing and General Distress: Does Self-Esteem Play a Mediating Role?. Kıbrıs Türk Psikiyatri ve Psikoloji Dergisi, Cilt: 5 Sayı: 2, 95–104. https://ajindex.com/articles/1519759

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (43)

  1. Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Alloy, L. B. (1989). Hopelessness depression: A theory-based subtype of depression. Psychological Review, 96(2), 358–372. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.96.2.358
  2. Ackerman, R. A., Witt, E. A., Donnellan, M. B., Trzesniewski, K. H., Robins, R. W., & Kashy, D. A. (2011). What does the Narcissistic Personality Inventory really measure? Assessment, 18(1), 67–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191110382845
  3. Al Nima, A., Rosenberg, P., Archer, T., & Garcia, D. (2013). Anxiety, affect, self-esteem, and stress: mediation and moderation effects on depression. PloS one, 8(9), e73265. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073265
  4. Ali, A., Oatley, K., & Toner, B. B. (2002). Life stress, self-silencing, and domains of meaning in unipolar depression: An investigation of an outpatient sample of women. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 21(6), 669–685. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.21.6.669.22797
  5. Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Causes and treatment. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
  6. Beck, A. T. (2005). The current state of cognitive therapy: A 40-year retrospective. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(9), 953–959. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.9.953
  7. Beck, A. T., & Beamesderfer, A. (1974). Assessment of depression: The depression inventory. In P. Pichot & R. Olivier-Martin (Eds.), Psychological measurements in psychopharmacology (pp. 151-169). Basel: Karger. https://doi.org/10.1159/000395074
  8. Besser, A., Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2010). Silencing the self and personality vulnerabilities associated with depression. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 285-312). New York: Oxford University Press.
  9. Bilgel, N., & Bayram, N. (2010). Turkish version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42): Psychometric properties. Archives of Neuropsychiatry, 47(2), 118-126. https://doi.org/10.4274/npa.5344
  10. Brown, G. W., & Harris, T. (1978). Social origins of depression: A study of psychiatric disorders in women. New York: Free Press.
  11. Cramer, K. M., Gallant, M. D., & Langlois, M. W. (2005). Self-silencing and depression in women and men: Comparative structural equation models. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(3), 581–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.02.012
  12. Doğan, T. (2011). İki Boyutlu Benlik Saygısı: Kendini Sevme/Özyeterlik Ölçeği’nin Türkçe uyarlaması, geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem: Adaptation of the Self-Liking/Self-Competence Scale into Turkish: A validity and reliability study]. Education and Science, 36(162), 126-137.
  13. Drat-Ruszczak, K. (2010). The meaning of self-silencing in Polish women. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 203-225). New York: Oxford University Press.
  14. Fivush, R. (2002). Voice and silence: A feminist model of autobiographical memory. In J. Lucariello, J. A. Hudson, R. Fivush, & P. J. Bauer (Eds.), The mediated mind: Essays in honor of Katherine Nelson (pp. 1-38). Mahwah: Erlbaum.
  15. Gordon, R. A. (2010). Drugs don’t talk: Do medication and biological psychiatry contribute to silencing the self? In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 47-72). New York: Oxford University Press.
  16. Harper, M. S., & Welsh, D. P. (2007). Keeping quiet: Self-silencing and its association with relational and individual functioning among adolescent romantic couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24(1), 99–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407507072601
  17. Jack, D. C. (1991). Silencing the self: Women and depression. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  18. Jack, D. C., & Ali, A. (2010). Introduction: Culture, self-silencing, and depression: A contextual-relational perspective. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 3-17). New York: Oxford University Press.
  19. Jack, D. C., & Dill, D. (1992). The Silencing the Self Scale: Schemas of intimacy associated with depression in women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 16(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1992.tb00242.x
  20. Jack, D. C., Pokharel, B., & Subba, U. (2010). ‘‘I don’t express my feelings to anyone’’: How self-silencing relates to gender and depression in Nepal. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 147-173). New York: Oxford University Press.
  21. Jordan, J. (2010). On the critical importance of relationships for women’s well-being. In D.C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 99-106). New York: Oxford University Press.
  22. Kaya, C., Chan, F., Brickham, D., Allen, M., Sarı, E., Şanal, M., & Topal, T. (2019). Investigating the measurement structure of the Turkish version of the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale-9. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00252-7
  23. Kraft, J. D., Grant, D. M., White, E. J., Taylor, D. L., & Frosio, K. E. (2019). Cognitive mechanisms influence the relationship between social anxiety and depression among college students depression among college students. Journal of American College Health, 69(3), 245-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1661844
  24. Kurtiş, T. (2010). Self-silencing and well -being among turkish women (Unpublished master thesis). University of Kansas, Lawrence.
  25. Lafrance, M. N. (2009). Women and depression: Recovery and resistance. London: Routledge.
  26. Lapsley, D., & Woodbury, R. D. (2016). Social cognitive development in emerging adulthood. In J. J. Arnett (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of emerging adulthood (pp. 142–159). Oxford University Press.
  27. Lovibond S. H., & Lovibond P. F. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research Therapy, 33(3), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U
  28. Matheson, F. I., Daoud, N., Hamilton-Wright, S., Borenstein, H., Pedersen, C., & O'Campo, P. (2015). Where did she go? The transformation of self-esteem, self-identity, and mental well-being among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Women's Health İssues, 25(5), 561-569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2015.04.006
  29. Miller, P. M., Kreitman, N. B., Ingham, J. G., & Sashidharan, S. P. (1989). Self-esteem, life stress and psychiatric disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 17(1), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(89)90025-6
  30. Natsuaki, M. N., Samuels, D., & Leve, L. D. (2015). Puberty, identity, and context: A biopsychosocial perspective on internalizing psychopathology in early adolescent girls. In K. C. McLean & M. Syed (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of identity development (pp. 389-405). New York: Oxford University Press.
  31. Neves, S., & Nogueira, C. (2010). Deconstructing gendered discourses of love, power, and violence in intimate relationships: Portuguese women’s experiences. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 241-259). New York: Oxford University Press.
  32. Oh, J. J. (2010). Self silencing, cultural values and well-being among Asian and European American women (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Alliant International University, Los Angeles.
  33. Orth, U., & Robins, R. W. (2014). The development of self-esteem. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 381-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414547414
  34. Page, J. R., Stevens, H. B., & Galvin, S. L. (1996). Relationships between depression, self-esteem, and self-silencing behavior. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 15(4), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1996.15.4.381
  35. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879
  36. Proeve, M., Anton, R., & Kenny, M. (2018). Effects of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on shame, self‐compassion and psychological distress in anxious and depressed patients: A pilot study. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 91(4), 434-449. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12170
  37. Smolak, L. (2010). Gender as culture: The meanings of self-silencing in women and men. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. 129-146). New York: Oxford University Press.
  38. Smolak, L., & Munstertieger, B. F. (2002). The relationship of gender and voice to depression and eating disorders. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26(3), 234–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.t01-1-00006
  39. Tafarodi, R. W., & Swann, W. B. (2001). Two-dimensional self-esteem: Theory and measurement. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(5), 653–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00169-0
  40. Whiffen, V. E., Foot, M. L., & Thompson, J. M. (2007). Self-silencing mediates the link between marital conflict and depression. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24(6), 993–1006. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407507084813
  41. Witte, T. H., & Sherman, M. F. (2002). Silencing the self and feminist identity development. Psychological Reports, 90(3), 1075-1083. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2002.90.3c.1075
  42. Wood, W. L., Lewandowski, L. J., Lovett, B. J., & Antshel, K. M. (2017). Executive dysfunction and functional impairment associated with sluggish cognitive tempo in emerging adulthood. Journal of Attention Disorders, 21(8), 691-700. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054714560822
  43. Worell, J. (2010). Foreword: Silence no more. In D. C. Jack & A. Ali (Eds.), Silencing the self across cultures (pp. xxiii-xxvii). New York: Oxford University Press.