Disclosure Experiences of College Students With Chronic Medical Conditions

Abstract

Emerging adults with chronic medical conditions must navigate repeated decisions about disclosure as they begin to manage their condition more independently. In this mixed-methods study, college students with chronic medical conditions (N = 25) provided a narrative of a disclosure decision-making experience and completed measures of life satisfaction, subjective well-being, and illness acceptance. Qualitative analysis investigated contexts for disclosure decisions and overall attitudes toward disclosure expressed. Decisions regarding disclosure occurred with university personnel, friends and peers, and at work. Three disclosure attitudes were identified: proactive, open, and reactive. Exploratory quantitative analysis revealed that college students with reactive attitudes toward disclosure reported lower life satisfaction, well-being, and illness acceptance than peers with open or proactive attitudes. Results demonstrate the unique contexts of disclosure faced by emerging adults with chronic conditions and suggest distinct approaches to disclosure are associated with well-being in different ways. Implications for research and practice are discussed.