Mental Imagery Vividness, Need for Cognitive Closure, and Psychological Distress in Indian College Students

Mental imagery vividness (MIV) refers to the sensory-like clarity of internally generated representations, while the need for cognitive closure (NCC) describes a motivational preference for definite answers and intolerance of ambiguity. Both constructs have been independently linked to psychological distress (PD), yet no study has directly tested whether NCC mediates or moderates the MIV-PD relationship, particularly in non-Western, non-clinical samples. This mixed-methods study examined these pathways among Indian college students. In the quantitative strand, 146 participants were recruited pan-India via snowball sampling (sample size justified a priori using G*Power; f² = 0.10, α = .05, 1 – β = .95; required N = 132) and completed the VVIQ-2, NFCS-15, and DASS-21. Data were analysed using Pearson correlations, PROCESS Model 4 (mediation), and PROCESS Model 1 (moderation). In the qualitative strand, 11 semi-structured interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). MIV correlated positively with NCC (r = .46, p < .001) and NCC with PD (r = .28, p = .001), but MIV did not correlate with PD at the bivariate level. Mediation analysis revealed inconsistent (competitive) mediation: a positive indirect effect of MIV on PD through NCC (b = +.20) and a negative direct effect (c′ = -.24, p = .020) that mutually suppressed one another. The MIV and NCC interaction was non-significant. Thematic analysis yielded five themes converging with the competing-pathways model. Findings reposition vivid imagery as a dual-function mechanism whose consequences depend on closure-seeking motivation, with implications for uncertainty-tolerance interventions in Indian higher education.