Factors that Predict Married Partners' Disclosures about Infertility to Social Network Members

Abstract

This study draws upon the revelation risk model and the disclosure decision-making model to deduce hypotheses linking perceived stigma, communication efficacy, and relational closeness to married partners’ tendencies to disclose information about their infertility experiences to members of the couple's social network. Data from 50 couples reporting on disclosures to a total of 250 social network members were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results indicated that aspects of stigma, communication efficacy, and closeness impact infertility-related disclosures. The discussion highlights how the application of these theories sheds light on the multiple factors that influence the extent to which husbands and wives engage their social network when coping with infertility.

Keywords:

• Infertility
• Social Networks
• Disclosure Decision-Making
• Privacy Management
• Revelation Risk Model

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the couples who participated in this research study and the anonymous reviewers who provided feedback on the manuscript.

This research was a portion of the first author's dissertation conducted under the direction of the second author and was supported by funds from Hellene Runtagh and The Don and Carol Miller Graduate Funds through the College of Liberal Arts at The Pennsylvania State University. The authors would like to thank the couples who participated in this research study and the anonymous reviewers who provided feedback on the manuscript

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Keli Ryan Steuber

Keli Ryan Steuber is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at The University of Iowa

Denise Haunani Solomon

Denise Haunani Solomon is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University