Sharing the good, sharing the bad: the benefits of emotional self-disclosure among middle-aged and older adults.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was designed to assess the impact of experimentally manipulating positive and negative self-disclosure on three domains of well-being among healthy middle-aged and older adults: emotional, psychological, and physical.


METHODS
Using a modified self-disclosure paradigm for sad, mixed (sad and happy), and neutral content, the authors examine changes in depressive symptomatology, stress, sad and happy mood, and self-reported health across 4 weeks in a sample (N = 200) of African American and European American men and women (age M = 54 years).


RESULTS
Consistent with research on younger groups, health symptomatology declined over time (irrespective of condition). However, although African Americans reported reductions in stress and depressive symptomatology in the sad condition, European Americans experienced similar reductions only in the neutral condition.


CONCLUSIONS
Results are discussed in terms of applications of the self-disclosure paradigm to developmentally and ethnically diverse groups.
Magai
Carol
C
Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York.
Consedine
Nathan S
NS
Fiori
Katherine L
KL
King
Arlene R
AR
D000339:Affect; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*