Disclosing Romantic Relationship Conflicts with a Third Party: A Test of the Disclosure Decision-Making Model

This study utilized Greene’s (2009) health disclosure decision-making model (DD-MM) to better understand the process of romantic relationship conflict (RRC) disclosures to a confidant outside the relationship. In doing so, I investigated the changes in relational quality between the discloser and their romantic partner/confidant, while also proposing that the DD-MM would be valid for use in RRC disclosures. Results indicated that while relational quality does not change significantly between the discloser and their romantic partner/confidant after an RRC disclosure, the depth of disclosure is significantly correlated with greater relational quality with the confidant. The relational quality an individual had with their romantic partner and confidant was also positively correlated with the disclosure efficacy they had toward their confidant. Overall, this study successfully validated the DD-MM for use (with only minor adjustments) in the new context of RRC disclosures. Implications and future directions are discussed