Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Amanda Rose

Abstract

AbstractThe most personal level of communication is intentional self-disclosure of one’s feelings or thoughts with another individual. Within the context of romantic relationships, disclosure between partners has implications for the relationships and for individual well-being. However, less is known about whether perceived pressure to disclose is related to young adults’ amount of disclosure to their partners. The theoretical frameworks applied to this study included social penetration theory, self-disclosure theory, and Reis and Shaver’s intimacy process model. The primary purpose of this quantitative secondary analysis of previously collected data by Rose was to test whether young adults’ perceived pressure from their partners to disclose is related to their self-reported disclosure to their partner. Whether there is a gender difference in perceived pressure and whether the relation between perceived pressure and disclosure differs for women and men also were tested given the differential socialization of disclosure in close relationships for females versus males. Participants consisted of 189 undergraduate students (95 female) from a Midwestern university in the United States. The study first tested the psychometric properties of items developed to assess perceived pressure to disclose to ensure that the items form an internally reliable single scale. Factor analyses confirmed that all items strongly loaded to one factor with a high internal reliability. Analysis of variance and t tests determined that the effects of gender, perceived pressure, and gender by perceived pressure interaction were not significant. However, descriptive analysis indicated significant gender difference. Findings address an important gap in the literature and may be used by psychologists for positive social change by assisting couples in developing healthy and happy relationships.

Download

Share

 
COinS