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The Journal of Social Psychology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vsoc20
Self-Disclosure and Stress Among Middle-Eastern University Students Paul D. Stark
a
a
American University of Beirut Published online: 01 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Paul D. Stark (1975) Self-Disclosure and Stress Among MiddleEastern University Students, The Journal of Social Psychology, 97:1, 141-142, DOI: 10.1080/00224545.1975.9923327 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1975.9923327
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 15:41 05 February 2015
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
The Journal of Social Psychology, 1975, 97, 141-142
SELF-DISCLOSURE AND STRESS AMONG MIDDLE-EASTERN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS*l American University of Beirut
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 15:41 05 February 2015
PAULD. STARR Jourard2 has hypothesized that self -disclosure is causally related to psychological and physical well-being, with low disclosure related to maladjustment and high disclosure associated with mental health. Several studies, as reviewed by Cozby,8 have provided conflicting evidence for the hypothesis. Given such results, it may be that the relationship is actually curvilinear with overdisclosure, as well as underdisclosure, related to negative mental health and medium disclosure connected with positive mental health. True linear relationships may have been obtained if the samples employed were biased and either high or low disclosers were overrepresented. Previous studies have not investigated this possibility, nor have they included techniques to detect departures from linearity. The study reported here attempted to determine if differences in selfdisclosure, as measured by Jourard's Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (JSDQ) in tbe version devised by Melikian," are related to symptoms of psychological stress, a measure of well-being which has not been used in previous studies. To assess the presence of symptoms of stress, the 22-item Mental Health Scale (MH) in the version validated by Manis et uL6 was employed. This scale is similar to those which have been used in almost every study of mental health conducted during the last 30 years, some in non-Western cultures. Middle-Eastern students enrolled in a required introductory course (Ss that tend to be very Westernized and have been shown to have JSDQ responses which are quite similar to those of American Ss4) were voluntarily asked to complete in English the JSDQ, the MH scale, and a personal data sheet. A total of 101 questionnaires were analyzed, 62 from males and 39
* Received in the Editorial Office, Provincetown, Massachusetts, on July 18, 1974. Copyright, 1975, by The Journal Press. 1 This research was supported by a grant from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the American University of Beirut. 2 Jouyard, S. M. Self-Disclosure: An Experimental Analysis of the Transparent Self. New York: Wiley, 1971. 3 Cozbv. P. C. Self-disclosure: A literature review. Psvchol. Bull.. 1973. 79. 73-91. 4 Melikian, L. H. Self-disclosure among university students in th; Middle East. J . SOC. Psychol., 1962, 57, 257-263. 6 Manis, J. C.. Brawer., M. J... et al. Validatinn a mental health scale. Amer. J . Sodol.. 1962, 28, ids-116.
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from females. The mean age was 19.94, SD = .74. The range of symptoms reported was from 1 to 12 with a mean of 5.04, SD = 2.53, while JSDQ scores ranged from 57 to 606 with a mean of 302.9, SD = 117.14. To test the hypothesis that MH scores would vary with self-disclosure in an inverse linear relationship, JSDQ scores were correlated with MH scores. The result was nonsignificant (r = .009). To test the hypothesis that the relationship would be curvilinear with both very high and very low disclosers manifesting a higher number of symptoms, a correlation ratio was computed with JSDQ scores grouped by units of 50. The results indicate a moderately curvilinear relationship with eta = .353, but the curve is in the direction opposite of that predicted, with medium disclosers tending to report more symptoms. There were no significant differences between the sexes in the overall JSDQ or MH scores, nor in the correlations. The results provide no support for either hypothesis.
Department of Sociology Auburn University Auburn, Alabama 36830
The Journal of Social Psychology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vsoc20
Self-Disclosure and Stress Among Middle-Eastern University Students Paul D. Stark
a
a
American University of Beirut Published online: 01 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Paul D. Stark (1975) Self-Disclosure and Stress Among MiddleEastern University Students, The Journal of Social Psychology, 97:1, 141-142, DOI: 10.1080/00224545.1975.9923327 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1975.9923327
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 15:41 05 February 2015
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
The Journal of Social Psychology, 1975, 97, 141-142
SELF-DISCLOSURE AND STRESS AMONG MIDDLE-EASTERN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS*l American University of Beirut
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 15:41 05 February 2015
PAULD. STARR Jourard2 has hypothesized that self -disclosure is causally related to psychological and physical well-being, with low disclosure related to maladjustment and high disclosure associated with mental health. Several studies, as reviewed by Cozby,8 have provided conflicting evidence for the hypothesis. Given such results, it may be that the relationship is actually curvilinear with overdisclosure, as well as underdisclosure, related to negative mental health and medium disclosure connected with positive mental health. True linear relationships may have been obtained if the samples employed were biased and either high or low disclosers were overrepresented. Previous studies have not investigated this possibility, nor have they included techniques to detect departures from linearity. The study reported here attempted to determine if differences in selfdisclosure, as measured by Jourard's Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (JSDQ) in tbe version devised by Melikian," are related to symptoms of psychological stress, a measure of well-being which has not been used in previous studies. To assess the presence of symptoms of stress, the 22-item Mental Health Scale (MH) in the version validated by Manis et uL6 was employed. This scale is similar to those which have been used in almost every study of mental health conducted during the last 30 years, some in non-Western cultures. Middle-Eastern students enrolled in a required introductory course (Ss that tend to be very Westernized and have been shown to have JSDQ responses which are quite similar to those of American Ss4) were voluntarily asked to complete in English the JSDQ, the MH scale, and a personal data sheet. A total of 101 questionnaires were analyzed, 62 from males and 39
* Received in the Editorial Office, Provincetown, Massachusetts, on July 18, 1974. Copyright, 1975, by The Journal Press. 1 This research was supported by a grant from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the American University of Beirut. 2 Jouyard, S. M. Self-Disclosure: An Experimental Analysis of the Transparent Self. New York: Wiley, 1971. 3 Cozbv. P. C. Self-disclosure: A literature review. Psvchol. Bull.. 1973. 79. 73-91. 4 Melikian, L. H. Self-disclosure among university students in th; Middle East. J . SOC. Psychol., 1962, 57, 257-263. 6 Manis, J. C.. Brawer., M. J... et al. Validatinn a mental health scale. Amer. J . Sodol.. 1962, 28, ids-116.
-
141
Downloaded by [University of Sussex Library] at 15:41 05 February 2015
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JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
from females. The mean age was 19.94, SD = .74. The range of symptoms reported was from 1 to 12 with a mean of 5.04, SD = 2.53, while JSDQ scores ranged from 57 to 606 with a mean of 302.9, SD = 117.14. To test the hypothesis that MH scores would vary with self-disclosure in an inverse linear relationship, JSDQ scores were correlated with MH scores. The result was nonsignificant (r = .009). To test the hypothesis that the relationship would be curvilinear with both very high and very low disclosers manifesting a higher number of symptoms, a correlation ratio was computed with JSDQ scores grouped by units of 50. The results indicate a moderately curvilinear relationship with eta = .353, but the curve is in the direction opposite of that predicted, with medium disclosers tending to report more symptoms. There were no significant differences between the sexes in the overall JSDQ or MH scores, nor in the correlations. The results provide no support for either hypothesis.
Department of Sociology Auburn University Auburn, Alabama 36830
