Revealing Concealable Stigmatized Identities: The Impact of Disclosure Motivations and Positive First-Disclosure Experiences on Fear of Disclosure and Well-Being

2010/09/02 by Stephenie R. Chaudoir, Diane M. Quinn · 5 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2010.01663.x

Abstract

People who live with concealable stigmatized identities face complex decisions regarding disclosure. In the current work, we examine how people's motivations for disclosing a concealable stigmatized identity for the first time affect the quality of their first disclosure experiences and how these experiences, in turn, affect current well-being. Specifically, we found that people who disclosed for ecosystem, or other-focused, reasons report more positive first disclosure experiences which, in turn, were related to higher current self-esteem. Analyses suggest that one reason why this first disclosure experience is related to current well-being is because positive first disclosure experiences may serve to lessen chronic fear of disclosure. Overall, these results highlight the importance of motivational antecedents for disclosure in impacting well-being and suggest that positive first disclosure experiences may have psychological benefits over time because they increase level of trust in others.

Citations

• Making the invisible visible: Fear and disclosure of sexual orientation at work.
• Living with a concealable stigmatized identity: The impact of anticipated stigma, centrality, salience, and cultural stigma on psychological distress and health.

Cited by

• The disclosure processes model: Understanding disclosure decision making and postdisclosure outcomes among people living with a concealable stigmatized identity.
• Perceived Workplace Discrimination and Disclosure at Work Among Lesbian and Gay Employees: The Role of Prior Coming Out Experiences in Different Life Domains
• A social ecological approach to belonging in LGBTQ+ people
• “It’s a Horrible Sin. If They Find Out, I Will Not be Able to Stay”: Orthodox Jewish Gay Men’s Experiences Living in Secrecy
• Revealing Mental Health Information in Friendships: The Role of Disclosure Strategy and Perceived Recipient Response on Disclosure Outcomes
• A Qualitative Study Examining Experiences and Dilemmas in Concealment and Disclosure of People Living With Serious Mental Illness

Related

• The disclosure processes model: Understanding disclosure decision making and postdisclosure outcomes among people living with a concealable stigmatized identity.
• The psychological implications of concealing a stigma: A cognitive-affective-behavioral model.
• Living with a concealable stigmatized identity: The impact of anticipated stigma, centrality, salience, and cultural stigma on psychological distress and health.
• Reducing Self-Stigma by Coming Out Proud
• Public disclosures of mental health problems on social media and audiences’ self-reported anti-stigma effects