Strategies and Reasons for Nondisclosure in Close Relationships During Adolescence

Abstract

Adolescents keep secrets from parents to assert independence or avoid punishment; however, there is little research on nondisclosure in other close relationships during adolescence. This article examines strategies and reasons for nondisclosure between adolescents (N = 244, 47.5% female, Mage = 12.71, SDage = 1.66) and multiple close relationships (parents, siblings, and best friends). The results show that adolescents tended to use nondisclosure strategies more for personal information (e.g., thoughts/feelings). Adolescents had more reasons to keep information from family as they got older, and girls reported keeping information from mothers more than boys because they would feel bad, embarrassed, or ashamed. These findings provide a greater understanding of patterns of nondisclosure during adolescence, which may in turn have implications for adolescent adjustment and relationship quality.