Is keeping a secret or being a secretive person linked to psychological symptoms?
This prospective study explored whether keeping a major secret, self-concealment (i.e., the predisposition to keep secrets), and social support at Time 1 predicted symptomatology levels 9 weeks later (Time 2) among a sample of 86 undergraduates. The results showed that the process of keeping a secret actually predicted fewer symptoms, whereas the personality variable of self-concealment predicted more symptoms at Time 2, even when the analyses controlled for social support. However, the predictive effects of both secret keeping and self-concealment were wiped out when the analyses statistically controlled for initial symptomatology, which was positively linked to self-concealment from the outset. These findings challenge conventional wisdom about the dangers of keeping a major secret and suggest that, instead, the kind of person who is secretive simply might be more vulnerable to symptoms.
Kelly
Anita E
AE
Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. Kelly.79@nd.edu
Yip
Jonathan J
JJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D014342:Truth Disclosure