Valerian J. Derlega

As the HIV epidemic enters its third decade, it remains one of the most pressing health issues of our time. Many aspects of the disease remain under-researched and inadequate attention has been given to the implications for the relationships and daily lives of those affected by HIV. Disclosing an HIV diagnosis remains a decision process fraught with difficulty and despite encouraging medical advances, an HIV diagnosis creates significant anxiety and distress about one's health, self-identity, and close relationships. This book provides an overarching view of existing research on privacy and disclosure while bringing together two significant areas: self-disclosure as a communication process and the social/relational consequences of HIV/AIDS. The unifying framework is communication privacy management and the focus of this volume is on private voluntary relational disclosure as opposed to forced or public disclosure. Utilizing numerous interviews with HIV patients and their families, the authors examine disclosure in a variety of social contexts, including relationships with intimate partners, families, friends, health workers, and coworkers. Of note are the examinations of predictors of willingness to disclose HIV infection, the message features of disclosure, and the consequences of both disclosure and non-disclosure. This volume, with its personal exercises and sources of additional information, offers an invaluable resource for individuals living with HIV and their significant others, as well as for professionals in the fields of health communication, social and health psychology, family therapy, clinical and counseling psychology, relationship research, infectious disease, and social service.

As the HIV epidemic enters its third decade, it remains one of the most pressing health issues of our time. Many aspects of the disease remain under-researched and inadequate attention has been given to the implications for the relationships and daily lives of those affected by HIV. Disclosing an HIV diagnosis remains a decision process fraught with difficulty and despite encouraging medical advances, an HIV diagnosis creates significant anxiety and distress about one's health, self-identity, and close relationships. This book provides an overarching view of existing research on privacy and disclosure while bringing together two significant areas: self-disclosure as a communication process and the social/relational consequences of HIV/AIDS. The unifying framework is communication privacy management and the focus of this volume is on private voluntary relational disclosure as opposed to forced or public disclosure. Utilizing numerous interviews with HIV patients and their families, the authors examine disclosure in a variety of social contexts, including relationships with intimate partners, families, friends, health workers, and coworkers. Of note are the examinations of predictors of willingness to disclose HIV infection, the message features of disclosure, and the consequences of both disclosure and non-disclosure. This volume, with its personal exercises and sources of additional information, offers an invaluable resource for individuals living with HIV and their significant others, as well as for professionals in the fields of health communication, social and health psychology, family therapy, clinical and counseling psychology, relationship research, infectious disease, and social service.

Born into a gendered world, gender affects virtually all of our close relationships. How we interact with one another during each stage of a relationship is influenced by the volatile and sometimes divisive role that gender plays in our lives. Gender and Close Relationships is an exploration into the current world of gendered interaction and the ways in which gender influences how others perceive and treat us. This timely and comprehensive discussion demonstrates, clearly, how societies construct and create gendered relationships, but also suggests how "non-traditional" close relationships may strengthen, or make irrelevant, gender-linked behavior. While framed within a solid scholarship, the authorsÆ presentation style is accessible, engaging, and practical. This book is ideal for students as well as academics, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of psychology, gender studies, interpersonal communication, and family studies. Gender and Close Relationships will also provide the interested lay reader with a deeper understanding of how being gender-identified may influence the quality, quantity, and content of our relationships.

Although self-disclosure is not equivalent to and does not define the level of intimacy in a relationship, it is a major factor in the relationship's development, maintenance, and deterioration. Conversely, the level of closeness between relationship partners (whether the individuals are acquaintances, friends, lovers, or relatives) affects the meaning and impact of disclosure. Compelling and informative, Self-Disclosure focuses on the role of self-disclosure in close relationships and illustrates how individuals negotiate with their relationship partners--what, when, where, and how they communicate personal feelings and thoughts. The authors examine how close relationships and self-disclosure are mutually transformative; where self-disclosure and relationships mutually interact to affect one another; how subcultural differences between males and females influence self-disclosure in relationships; how the vulnerability and risk associated with disclosing personal information leads relationship partners to be concerned about privacy regulation; and how stress-reducing disclosure, associated with the willingness to talk about stressful events, provides both a means of coping with unpleasant life events and access to social support. With sensitive coverage of the major themes of self-disclosure, this volume is ideally suited for students, researchers, and practitioners interested in close relationships, interpersonal communication, social psychology, gender studies, family studies, counseling and clinical psychology, social work, and sociology. "For someone looking for a good review of the literature on self-disclosure and close relationships, this book fits the bill, providing a quick and easy way to sort through theory....for the researcher, the authors provide questionnaire materials in most chapters to illustrate how data might be collected." --Families in Society