Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends
The purpose of this study was to learn about the process of disclosing health information to a coworker friend using the lens of Communication Privacy Management Theory. The study explores emerging themes regarding health information disclosure and predicts associations between privacy, social suppo...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/10/355 |
| _version_ | 1827651577442205696 |
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| author | Catherine Y. Kingsley Westerman Emily M. Haverkamp Cheng Zeng |
| author_facet | Catherine Y. Kingsley Westerman Emily M. Haverkamp Cheng Zeng |
| author_sort | Catherine Y. Kingsley Westerman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study was to learn about the process of disclosing health information to a coworker friend using the lens of Communication Privacy Management Theory. The study explores emerging themes regarding health information disclosure and predicts associations between privacy, social support, risk, stigma, and the willingness to disclose health information to a friend at work. Employees were asked to recall a time they shared health information with a coworker friend and report about the interaction via open-ended items and scales on a survey. The study found that as emotional support, instrumental support, perceived risk, and stigma of the information increased, so did the tendency to disclose to a coworker friend. Increased privacy of the information was associated with a decrease in the tendency to disclose. A thematic analysis of the open-ended results also revealed that employees shared information associated with personal on-going health problems to seek support, to relate to their coworker friends, and to maintain their friendship. The findings also indicated that employees were likely to receive social support from their coworker friends even if they were not seeking it. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:41:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2996a9e7ca364ba7aae34fc88f7e3ef8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:41:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2996a9e7ca364ba7aae34fc88f7e3ef82023-11-23T22:55:50ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2022-09-01121035510.3390/bs12100355Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace FriendsCatherine Y. Kingsley Westerman0Emily M. Haverkamp1Cheng Zeng2Department of Communication, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USADepartment of Communication, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USADepartment of Communication, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USAThe purpose of this study was to learn about the process of disclosing health information to a coworker friend using the lens of Communication Privacy Management Theory. The study explores emerging themes regarding health information disclosure and predicts associations between privacy, social support, risk, stigma, and the willingness to disclose health information to a friend at work. Employees were asked to recall a time they shared health information with a coworker friend and report about the interaction via open-ended items and scales on a survey. The study found that as emotional support, instrumental support, perceived risk, and stigma of the information increased, so did the tendency to disclose to a coworker friend. Increased privacy of the information was associated with a decrease in the tendency to disclose. A thematic analysis of the open-ended results also revealed that employees shared information associated with personal on-going health problems to seek support, to relate to their coworker friends, and to maintain their friendship. The findings also indicated that employees were likely to receive social support from their coworker friends even if they were not seeking it.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/10/355communication privacy managementworkplace friendshipsocial support |
| spellingShingle | Catherine Y. Kingsley Westerman Emily M. Haverkamp Cheng Zeng Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends Behavioral Sciences communication privacy management workplace friendship social support |
| title | Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends |
| title_full | Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends |
| title_short | Understanding Disclosure of Health Information to Workplace Friends |
| title_sort | understanding disclosure of health information to workplace friends |
| topic | communication privacy management workplace friendship social support |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/10/355 |
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