Abstract
Two new conceptual styles of self-disclosure were identified in a previous study—“announcers” and “confessors”. The styles and characteristics of each had been derived from disclosures made during Somerset Health Panel discussions in 2001 on attitudes to stress and depression. The aim of this article is to validate and refine the concepts of “announcer” and “confessor” styles of self-disclosure. Data from archived qualitative data of seven focus groups collected in 2006 for the Cultural Context of Youth Suicide study was analysed. The results validated the concept of two styles of self-disclosure (announcers and confessors) and highlight additional factors that impact on disclosure. This study adds new insights in how people disclose personal or sensitive information and the impact of specific factors (contextual, individual and methodological) on the disclosure style used. Importantly, this article also demonstrates that qualitative data can be reused successfully in the development of models in communication and social interaction theory.
Highlights
In the broadest sense, the primary goal of any focus group is to encourage self-disclosure [1]; to encourage people to talk about their thoughts and feelings on a given topic
The self-disclosure rate was similar to the Somerset Health Panels, with 15/66 (23%) of participants self-disclosing a history of depression, self-harm or suicidal intention (Table 1)
The two distinct styles of announcers and confessors and their relative characteristics were identifiable within the Youth Suicide data
Summary
The primary goal of any focus group is to encourage self-disclosure [1]; to encourage people to talk about their thoughts and feelings on a given topic. A number of key factors that facilitate self-disclosure in focus groups were found to be consistent with other research, e.g. establishing common ground, breaking the ice, humour and setting the tone [4,5,6,7,8]. It was identified in the previous study [3] that there were differences between “announcers” and “confessors” responses to these factors, with confessors more likely to be influenced by them than announcers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
