Self-Disclosure Experiences of Adults Who Stutter: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Self-disclosure describes the act of revealing personal information to another person. To date, researchers in the area of stuttering have primarily demonstrated the utility of self-disclosure through analysis of listener perceptions. This study explores the utility of informative self-disclosure use from the perspectives of adults who stutter with experience using this strategy over time and across contexts. Method: Twelve adults who stutter discussed their self-disclosure experiences in semistructured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to produce themes reflecting the most salient aspects of self-disclosure experiences. Credibility was achieved through bracketing, investigator triangulation, and member checking. Results: Four superordinate themes reflecting experiences shared by all 12 participants were generated. Each superordinate theme contained two to three corresponding subthemes. The superordinate themes included cognitive relief, self-empowerment, social connection, and personalization. These findings reflect the positive impact of informative self-disclosure use on communication and quality of life. Conclusions: Adults who stutter perceive informative self-disclosure to be an effective strategy that provides various benefits to the speaker, in addition to facilitating positive listener perceptions. Clinicians should encourage clients to self-disclose in an informative and personalized manner, provide opportunities for practice, and support clients in determining when and where it is most beneficial for them to implement this strategy.