Verbal Disclosure Research Articles

Children, Sexual Abuse and the Emotions of the Community Health Practitioner in England and Wales, 1970-2000.

A survivor of child sexual abuse felt that doctors missed opportunities to notice her distress when, at fourteen, she had an unexplained illness that lasted for a year. The cause, she wrote, was "explained by Doctors as psychological, but nobody questioned further. WHY??? … If adults don't listen[,] then we have no one to turn to." For decades, community health practitioners have been identified as an important group in protecting children from maltreatment, but survivor testimony and agency statistics demonstrate that they rarely receive verbal disclosures or recognize the physical or behavioural warning signs of sexual abuse. The accounts we have of the 1980s tell of swiftly heightening professional awareness, followed by a visceral backlash in the latter part of the decade that discouraged practitioners from acting on their concerns. This article uses trade and professional journals, training materials, textbooks, and new oral histories to consider why community-based doctors and nurses have struggled to notice and respond to the sexually abused child. It will argue that the conceptual model of child sexual abuse that community health practitioners encountered in the workplace encouraged a mechanical and procedural response to suspicions of abuse. In a highly gendered and contested workplace, practitioners' feelings about how survivors, non-abusing family members, and perpetrators should be understood were rarely debated in training or in practice. The emotional cost to the practitioners of engagement with sexual abuse, and their need for spaces of reflexivity and structures of support, were ignored.

Information Disclosure in the Era of Voice Technology

Whenever consumers interact with technological devices connected to the internet, they disclose information about themselves. The rapid diffusion of voice technology is shifting the way consumers interact with technological devices from typing or clicking to speaking. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of how this shift from manual to oral communication with technology affects information disclosure. The authors first consider verbal disclosure and provide a conceptual framework that explicates how voice technology can influence consumers’ propensity to reveal information about themselves through semantic content disclosed voluntarily. They then consider nonverbal disclosure and provide an analysis of how voice technology enables the collection of information revealed unintentionally through vocal paralanguage and ambient sound. The article offers testable propositions and poses open research questions that can serve as impetus for future research. In addition, it provides insights to marketers regarding how to navigate voice technology as a source of consumer information and to policy makers regarding how to better protect consumer privacy in interactions with voice technology.

The Effects of Different Sources and Modalities of Stuttering Disclosure on Listeners’ Perceptions of a Child Who Stutters

Introduction: Research reveals the clinical efficacy of both verbal and written stuttering disclosure statements provided by a child who stutters (CWS) and his advocates (i.e., mother or teacher) [Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2020 Jul;51(3):745–60 and Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2021 Aug;52(4):1031–1048]. Although existing data reveal that both the source (i.e., self- vs. advocate disclosure) and modality (i.e., verbal or written) of stuttering disclosure yields significant improvements in the perceptions of speech skills and personality characteristics of CWS, there is a paucity of research directly comparing the modality (verbal vs. written) and source (self, mother, teacher) of disclosure statements. Accordingly, this study analyzes listeners’ perceptions of a 12-year-old male CWS’ speech skills and personal characteristics, as a function of both the source and modality of factual stuttering disclosure statements [Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2020 Jul;51(3):745–60 and Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2021 Aug;52(4):1031–1048]. Methods: A total of 641 college-aged adults participated in this analysis; study participants reported their perceptions of speech skills and personality characteristics of a 12-year-old CWS as a function of stuttering disclosure. Participants were randomly assigned to view one video containing one of two disclosure modalities (verbal or written), one of three stuttering disclosure source conditions (self-disclosure, mother disclosure, and teacher disclosure), or a no-disclosure control condition. Participants in the control group viewed a brief video of a 12-year-old CWS reciting a short reading passage; participants in the experimental groups viewed their assigned disclosure statement followed by the same video used in the control condition. Immediately following the video, all participants completed a survey quantifying their perceptions of the CWSs relative to his speech skills and personal characteristics. Results: Results reveal optimal results via verbal self-disclosure and verbal teacher disclosure. A limited number of nominally positive perceptual differences were noted within the written mother disclosure group, while written CWS self-disclosure yielded significantly negative perceptions of the CWS. Overall, verbal disclosures yield far more significant and desirable perceptions of CWS’ speech skills and personal characteristics when compared to written stuttering disclosure. Discussion: Results of this analysis reveal that verbal stuttering disclosure is significantly more effective in improving listeners’ perceptions of a CWS, when compared to written stuttering disclosures. Despite the widespread adoption of written communication over digital media (e.g., email and text messages), these data support the notion that face-to-face or video verbal stuttering disclosure provides the most desirable perceptual benefits for CWS. Within verbal stuttering disclosure, verbal self-disclosure appears to be the single best overall disclosure methodology relative to clinical application.

Improving professional practice in the investigation and management of intrafamilial child sexual abuse: Qualitative analysis of serious child protection reviews

BackgroundLocal multi-agency case reviews are regularly held in England when children have suffered significant harm from abuse or neglect, including from child sexual abuse (CSA). Most CSA takes place within families, is common but under-reported and can cause long-term harm. ObjectiveThe aim was to analyse English child protection reviews relating to intrafamilial CSA to identify improvements for professional practice. Participants and settingLocal Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (LCSPRs) and Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) relating to serious incidents of intrafamilial CSA occurring between 01 April 2017 and 31 March 2020. MethodsLCSPRs and SCRs were obtained from the National Case Review Repository and thematically analysed. ResultsThere were 243 reviews, of which 25 featured intrafamilial CSA. The main themes related to perpetrators, vulnerable families, and professional practice. Half of perpetrators were known by services to have previously abused children, but issues with professional practice enabled them to continue. Most children did not disclose CSA verbally showing challenging or sexualised behaviour; but professionals lacked knowledge and confidence on how to intervene without verbal disclosure, which limited safeguarding actions. Non-engagement by families with services was common, with some non-abusing parents complicit in abuse and deception. Significant neglect occurred in half the families, which diverted professional attention away from CSA. ConclusionCSA is deliberate abuse of children involving considerable deception by perpetrators in contrast to some other types of child abuse. This difference in abuser behaviour makes child protection more difficult, particularly when professionals do not recognise and respond to children's non-verbal disclosures.

Encounters at the Mound in Old Norse Literature: Dialogues between Landscape and Narrative

Encounters at the Mound in Old Norse Literature: Dialogues between Landscape and Narrative

Verbal Disclosure and Mental Health Among Gay Latino and Gay White Men

We examined the relationship between verbal disclosure of sexual orientation and mental health among gay Latino and gay White men. In Study 1, we recruited 164 gay Latino ( n = 81) and gay White ( n = 83) men via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants completed measures assessing the degree to which they verbally disclosed their gay identity to others, as well as their depression and anxiety symptoms. Increased verbal disclosure predicted better mental health among gay White men only; no statistically significant relationships emerged among gay Latinos. In Study 2, we recruited 281 gay Latino ( n = 130) and White ( n = 151) men via MTurk, in which feelings of shame and guilt independently mediated the relationship between verbal disclosure and mental health. Among gay White men, increased verbal disclosure predicted less shame and guilt, which predicted better mental health. These relationships did not emerge for gay Latinos.

The disclosure slide-Informative or obligatory, 5 years of SSO Cancer Symposium oral presentations.

Financial disclosure (FD) highlights potential conflicts of interest but is often overlooked at academic conferences. Retrospective review of 2015-2019 Society of Surgical Oncology Cancer Symposium oral presentation slide and/or verbal FD frequency, duration, and content. Of 963 presentations, 331 (34%) omitted disclosure slide/verbalization. 575 (60%) included a slide, 551 (57%) gave verbal disclosure and 133 (14%) stated relevance. 164 presentations (17%) cited 1 + FD. 2019 had greater median FDs/talk than 2015-2018 (3.50 vs. 2.00; p = .010). Compared to 2015-2018, 2019 yielded shorter median slide display of all disclosures (2.00 s vs. 2.47 s; p = .006), median 1 + FD display (3.37 s vs. 4.81 s; p = .04) and median 1 + FD verbalization (2.81 s vs. 3.66 s; p = .54). 2019 all disclosure verbalization increased (1.97 s vs. 1.14 s; p < .001). Multivariable modeling showed longer display with 2015-2018 (+1.3 s, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.06 to 2.5 s, p = .04), <4 authors (+3.2 s, 95% CI: 2.1-4.3 s; p < .001) and longer verbalization with 2019 (+0.8 s, 95% CI: 0.2-1.4 s; p = .01), relevance (+1.0 s, 95% CI: 0.4-1.6 s; p = .002), ≤ 4 authors (+0.8 s, 95% CI: 0.3-1.3 s, p < .001) and noncommercial FD (+3.8 s, 95% CI: 2.0-5.0 s; p < .001). The five most cited commercial entities were in 39% of talks. Presenters' FDs were brief or omitted. Despite FD increase, disclosure time decreased. Improved FD attention will highlight potential COIs.

Compelled Decryption and the Right Against Self-Incrimination: Obsta Principiis

Amidst the debate over compelled decryption, most courts and commentators have failed to recognize that the Act of Production Doctrine has swallowed the right against self-incrimination. The right against self-incrimination was created for the express purpose of preventing the government from compelling self-incrimination, particularly in the form of oral or written testimony, or by the production of incriminating books and papers. The English and early-American cases make this point in no uncertain terms. “[T]he reason why in such cases a man needs not to answer, is, because that no man ought to accuse himself” and “the defendant is never forced to produce any evidence, though he should hold it in his hands in court.” Yet, in the compelled decryption cases, the right against self-incrimination sounds quite different. In addressing the question of whether a person can be compelled to “produce” a password under the Act of Production Doctrine, one court expressed its understanding that “[t]here is some support for the idea that the written disclosure of the password would amount to direct testimony.” Another court held that the compelled verbal disclosure of a password did not offend the Fifth Amendment because “the communication was sought only for its content and the content has no other value or significance.” The stakes in the compelled decryption cases are immense. The right against self-incrimination is not just a right to silence, it protects the human conscience, the right to privacy, and the value of books and papers. The right against self-incrimination also defines the difference between inquisitorial and accusatorial systems of legal procedure. Should the Act of Production Doctrine persist, the right against self-incrimination will disappear and the principles supported and protected by the right will be washed away. Therefore, this work proceeds in four parts. Part I briefly addresses the question of constitutional interpretation before continuing on to examine the origin and development of the right against self-incrimination in England and America. Then, Part II addresses the history of the Supreme Court’s self-incrimination jurisprudence. Part II first tracks the Court’s original and constitutionally faithful doctrine of self-incrimination, which is termed the Boyd-Bram Analysis. Part II then examines how the Court slowly abandoned the Boyd-Bram Analysis in favor of doctrines fundamentally opposed to the right against self-incrimination, including the Act of Production Doctrine. Part II also provides a detailed analysis of the Act of Production Doctrine’s many faults, and details how the Court was unable to clarify the doctrine in subsequent cases. The chaos that defines the compelled decryption cases is the subject of Part III. As an initial matter, Part III provides a detailed but accessible explanation of how encryption works and addresses common misconceptions. With a technical understanding of encryption in hand, Part III then argues that the inherent flaws of the Act of Production Doctrine explain why the state and lower federal courts have been unable to agree about even the most basic questions of self-incrimination. The two major sources of confusion are linked to the Act of Production Doctrine’s concept of communications and a subsidiary analysis known as the Foregone Conclusion Doctrine. Part III provides a series of tables and figures which quantify the scale of disagreement and confusion over the issue of compelled decryption. Part IV examines the impact of the Supreme Court’s retreat from the Boyd-Bram Analysis on the right against self-incrimination, how the issue of compelled decryption is properly treated under the Fifth Amendment, and the future of self-incrimination jurisprudence. Part IV makes three primary arguments. First, Part IV argues that the compelled decryption cases and the Act of production Doctrine are a direct threat to the letter and spirit of the right against self-incrimination. Second, that compelled decryption violates the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Third, that the Boyd-Bram Analysis is well-positioned to become the Supreme Court’s primary doctrine of self-incrimination.

The Moderating Effect of Depression Symptoms on the Concordance between the Experience and Verbal Disclosure of Emotion

Within-person studies of emotional disclosure have found evidence of a disclosure-discordance effect of depression, whereby the positive association between the intensity of one’s emotional experience and verbal disclosure of that experience weakens with increasing depression symptoms. Because these previous studies have exclusively been naturalistic ones, we examined the disclosure-discordance effect of depression in the lab. Participants (N = 115) completed a measure of depression symptoms and viewed a series of emotionally evocative photographs. Emotion-expressive behavior while viewing each photograph was rated by judges, subjective emotional experience was assessed via self-report, and emotional disclosure just after the photograph was viewed was rated by different judges. Multilevel analyses indicated that depression symptoms moderated the association between the behavioral (i.e., facial) expression of emotion intensity and disclosure of emotion. Moderation was not supported in analyses with self-reported emotional intensity as a predictor. These findings partly supported the disclosure-discordance effect, and they inform methods of empirically examining the effect of depression symptoms on the verbal disclosure of emotion.

An examination of how young adults manage verbal disclosure of their tattoo(s)

Using 25 interviews of young adults and Communication Privacy Management Theory (CPM) as a theoretical framework, this study examines what motivates young adults to verbally disclose or not disclose their tattoos to others. Findings suggest young adults were aware of the threat of tattoo stigma and carefully created and managed privacy rules by assessing whether disclosing their tattoos was risky or rewarding. Participants verbally revealed their tattoo(s) when they perceived disclosing helped them bond with others, establish their identities, and empower themselves. Conversely, participants concealed their tattoo(s) when they perceived disclosing as harmful for their professional identity or potentially resulting in judgment from family and friends. This study sheds light on young adults’ privacy management and underscores the value of tattoos and the need to destigmatize them.

Management of Fecal Incontinence.

Nine percent of adult women experience episodes of fecal incontinence at least monthly. Fecal incontinence is more common in older women and those with chronic bowel disturbance, diabetes, obesity, prior anal sphincter injury, or urinary incontinence. Fecal incontinence negatively affects quality of life and mental health and is associated with increased risk of nursing home placement. Fewer than 30% of women with fecal incontinence seek care, and lack of information about effective solutions is an important barrier for both patients and health care professionals. Even among women with both urinary and fecal incontinence presenting for urogynecologic care, the rate of verbal disclosure of fecal incontinence symptoms remains low. This article provides an overview of the evaluation and management of fecal incontinence for the busy obstetrician-gynecologist, incorporating existing guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. The initial clinical evaluation of fecal incontinence requires a focused history and physical examination. Recording patient symptoms using a standard diary or questionnaire can help document symptoms and response to treatment. Invasive diagnostic testing and imaging generally are not needed to initiate treatment but may be considered in complex cases. Most women have mild symptoms that will improve with optimized stool consistency and medications. Additional treatment options include pelvic floor muscle strengthening with or without biofeedback, devices placed anally or vaginally, and surgery, including sacral neurostimulation, anal sphincteroplasty, and, for severely affected individuals for whom other interventions fail, colonic diversion.

A Systematic Review of Instruments used to Assess Nonverbal Emotional Signs in Children during an Investigative Interview for Suspected Sexual Abuse

Sexually abused young people often display few or no physical symptoms, and delay of verbal disclosure is common. Based on previous research, we assume that sexually abused children and adolescents may display nonverbal emotional signs, which can be assessed during an investigative interview for suspected child sexual abuse (CSA). We aim to present an overview of reported instruments for the assessment of children's and adolescents' nonverbal emotional signs by medical, psychological and forensic professionals during an investigative interview for suspected CSA. Structured search strategies were developed for MEDLINE (OvidSP), Embase (OvidSP) and PsychINFO (OvidSP). Two reviewers independently performed study selection and data extraction. The search yielded 6711 studies, of which nine were included. All included studies had different study aims and reported a variety of purposes for the assessment of nonverbal emotional signs. Eight different, newly developed instruments were used. Although all studies reported the measurement properties of the instruments, insufficient information was provided for analysis of their reliability and validity. This indicates the need for one reliable, validated instrument for the assessment of nonverbal emotional signs. Standardised, generally approved methods to collect uniform and comparable information during the investigative interview for suspected CSA are essential to enhance the knowledge base in this field.‘An overview of reported instruments for the assessment of children's and adolescents' nonverbal emotional signs… during an investigative interview for suspected CSA’Key Practitioner Messages The evidence base in the field of suspected CSA would be improved if professionals worldwide used standardised and generally approved methods for the collection of uniform, comparable information. Further research is required to explore the additional value of the assessment of nonverbal emotional signs in children and adolescents during the investigative interview for suspected CSA. To warrant the sustainable and harmonised collection of relevant nonverbal emotional signs, a valid and reliable assessment instrument needs to be developed.

Individual differences in expressive suppression and the subjective experience, verbal disclosure, and behavioral expression of anger

Expressive suppression reflects one's tendency to inhibit the behavioral expression of emotion. Despite voluminous research on expressive suppression, we are aware of no study examining its relation to anger as a discrete emotion. Participants (N = 97) completed measures of expressive suppression and trait anger, and they viewed two anger-inducing and two non-anger film clips. During each film clip, participants’ faces were video recorded and later coded for the behavioral expression of anger. After each film clip, participants rated their subjective experience of anger, and they wrote about their experiences; computerized text analyses measured the verbal disclosure of anger. ANOVAs revealed that film type interacted with expressive suppression for subjective experience of anger and behavioral expression of anger even while controlling for trait anger; expressive suppression was negatively associated with subjective experience and behavioral expression of anger with respect to the anger-inducing films but not the non-anger films. Verbal disclosure of anger was not associated with expressive suppression. This lab study confirmed that general expressive suppression has implications for the experience and behavioral expression of anger, and it suggests value in extending this general individual-difference variable to the realm of discrete emotions.

How to Talk down Your Stock Returns

We process the natural language of verbal firm disclosures in order to study the use of context specific language or jargon and its impact on financial performance. We observe that, within the Q&A of earnings conference calls, managers use less jargon in responses to tougher questions, and after a quarter of bad economic success. Moreover, markets interpret the lack of precise information as a bad signal: we find lower cumulative abnormal returns and a higher implied volatility following earnings calls where managers use less jargon. These results support the argument that context specific language or jargon helps to efficiently and precisely transfer information.

Communicating social support online: The roles of emotional disclosures and gender cues in support provision

The anonymity of online support forums presents both benefits and challenges for online supportive communication. This study investigates how support seekers’ verbal disclosure of emotions and gender cues in their user profiles may affect viewers’ intended support provision. Participants were asked to view a mockup page containing a support seeker’s profile along with a support-seeking post. They were then instructed to complete a survey on their appraisal of the support seeker and their intentions to provide support to him/her. The study found that compared to support seekers who made limited emotional disclosures, those with high levels of emotional disclosures were perceived as more legitimate to seek support online, which, in turn, enhanced viewers’ intentions to provide that support. Further, gender-ambiguous support seekers were more likely to be attributed females if they made more rather than fewer emotional disclosures. However, support seekers’ gender cues did not moderate the impact of emotional disclosures on viewers’ intentions to provide emotional support. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Impact of Videotaped Information on the Experience of Parents of Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Videotaped information has been shown to be effective in reducing parental anxiety and facilitating knowledge transfer in various clinical settings. There is lack of literature on the use of videotaped information during the pediatric oncology initial family disclosure meeting. The purpose of this study was to deliver an informative DVD, highlighting information on childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), to parents of children with newly diagnosed ALL and to assess if the DVD provided increased levels of satisfaction and decreased levels of anxiety in parents around the time of diagnosis. We surveyed 24 parents of children on active treatment for ALL, diagnosed between the ages of 1 and 18years from 2008 to 2016 at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. Parents were provided a survey questionnaire assessing levels of satisfaction with information communicated by the healthcare team and anxiety following verbal disclosure and were asked to report satisfaction and anxiety levels immediately following viewing the DVD intervention. Twenty-three/24 (95.8%) parents surveyed reported seeking information from additional resources after disclosure. Of the 24 parents who watched the DVD, 12 (50.0%) watched it once, while 12 (50.0%) watched it twice or more. All parents were satisfied with DVD information, and there was a significant decrease in anxiety after viewing (P = 0.03). All 24 parents felt that the DVD was a useful educational tool. Videotaped information after verbal disclosure is an effective educational resource and is associated with reduced anxiety among parents of children with ALL.

Effects of Genetic Counselor Self-Disclosure: an Experimental Analog Study.

The complex nature of self-disclosure poses challenges for genetic counselors in clinical practice. We examined the impact of genetic counselor self-disclosure on observer perceptions of the counselor. In an online analog study, 123 participants watched a 3-minute video of a simulated genetic counseling session. For half the participants, the video showed the counselor disclosing that she had a family medical history similar to the patient (direct personal disclosure). For half the participants, the counselor revealed her experience with other patients (direct professional disclosure). Half the participants in each video condition read that the patient had discovered personal information about the counselor during a pre-session web search (indirect personal disclosure); half read that the patient learned of the counselor's FAQ webpage for prospective patients (indirect professional disclosure). Participants in the direct personal disclosure conditions gave higher ratings to the counseling relationship on an abbreviated version of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory and rated themselves more likely to see the counselor compared to those in the direct professional disclosure conditions. The content of the indirect disclosure conditions (personal or professional) had no effect. Brief, direct, verbal disclosure of session-relevant personal information by a genetic counselor appears to enhance the counselor-patient relationship and increase the likelihood of patients returning to the counselor.

Communication Support via a Tele-Operated Robot for Easier Talking: Case/Laboratory Study of Individuals with/Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

The advantages of using a tele-operated robot to facilitate otherwise difficult verbal disclosure of thoughts and concerns was examined. In a field study, individuals with autism spectrum disorder, who often face obstacles in social interaction, were provided daily-life-guidance by a robot tele-operated by their caregiver. In cases in which the robot was operated remotely or from the same room, subjects were able to disclose concerns to the robot that they had not previously disclosed to their caregiver. Furthermore, under the latter case the improved communicability was maintained through subsequent conversation with the operator. In a separate laboratory experiment involving participants not judged to be on the autism spectrum, it was observed that the participants were silent longer during conversation via a robot than in face-to-face conversation. The enhanced length of silence in the first setting can be considered to be an index for good counseling of a subject. Furthermore, the enhanced length of silence was maintained in subsequent face-to-face conversation with a robot operator in the same room, which appears to be consistent with the results of the field experiment. The findings encourage future applications in therapeutic conversation approaches such as counseling for providing clients with environments that facilitate the disclosure of concerns.

Self-disclosure with Dogs: Dog Owners’ and Non-dog Owners’ Willingness to Disclose Emotional Topics

ABSTRACTMany owners talk to their pets about a wide range of issues, but there is very little research that has considered the content of this, or its impact on owner wellbeing. Verbal disclosure brings a range of potential health benefits, yet a number of factors may prevent individuals from confiding in their partners or friends (confidants). As such, in some circumstances, dogs may provide a more favorable alternative focus for disclosure. In a survey, we assessed dog owners’ (n = 286) and non-dog owners’ (n = 64) self-reported willingness to talk to their dog (dog owners only), their partner and their confidant. We used the Emotional Self Disclosure Scale (ESDS) for non-dog owners, and an adapted version of this for dog owners: Emotional Self Disclosure Scale–Dog Owners (ESDS-DO). Both dog owners and non-dog owners demonstrated a greater willingness to disclose to their partner than a confidant. For dog owners, their dog appeared to play a similar role as their partner, with greater willingness to talk to their dog about depression, jealousy, anxiety, calmness, apathy, and fear-related emotions, compared with a confidant. When talking about jealousy and apathy, dog owners reported greater willingness to talk to their dog than their partner or a confidant, but between-group comparisons (dog owner vs non-dog owner) revealed that dog owners and non-dog owners did not significantly differ in their willingness to talk to their partner or confidant, suggesting human relationships were not negatively affected by confiding to the dog. Participant age and length of relationship with their partner did not affect disclosure patterns for dog owners or non-dog owners. Males and females showed different willingness to disclose to confidants, but not to dogs. The results have implications for considering the value of dogs for human psychological health.

Can Emotional Disclosure Promote Sport Injury-Related Growth?

This study makes an original and rigorous contribution to the psychology of sport injury literature by examining the efficacy of emotional disclosure to promote sport-injury-related growth (SIRG). Participants (N = 45) were assigned to one of three groups (i.e., written disclosure [WD], verbal disclosure [VD], or control), 30 of whom took part in social validation interviews (>45 hr) and member reflections to evidence methodological rigor. The VD group experienced SIRG. There was no significant difference between the WD and control groups. Practical implications are considered at intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels. Future research on emotional disclosure should proceed with caution and diversify.