Disclosing an Invisible Disability during a Romantic Relationship

This study aims to examine the effect of disclosing an invisible disability on the partner's willingness to continue a relationship, as dependent on the type of disability disclosed, the timing of its disclosure, gender, and the negative affects the disclosure aroused. 311 participants read a randomized scenario in which the subject of evaluation was exposed to the partner’s invisible disability, and then completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to measure the subject of evaluation's affects following the disclosure. Finally, participants rated the subject of evaluation’s degree of willingness to continue the relationship. Our findings provide evidence expanding our understanding of how self-disclosure may impact the formation of romantic relationships among people with disabilities.

本研究旨在探讨披露隐形残疾对伴侣维持恋爱关系意愿的影响，该影响受披露残疾的类型、披露时机、性别以及披露所引发的负面情绪的调节。共有311名参与者阅读了随机设置的实验情境，其中评估对象获悉了其伴侣的隐形残疾情况，随后完成了正负性情感量表（Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, PANAS），以测量评估对象在披露残疾后的情感状态。最后，参与者对评估对象维持恋爱关系的意愿程度进行了评分。本研究结果为拓展我们对自我披露如何影响残疾人群体浪漫关系构建的认知提供了实证依据。