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Journal Article 1: Denes, A. (2018). Toward a post-sex disclosures model: Exploring the associations among orgasm, self-disclosure, and relationship satisfaction. Communication Research, 45, 297–318.

Abstract: This study investigates communication during the post-sex time interval (PSTI) and extends previous work on communication after sexual activity by testing a post-sex disclosures model (PSDM) using structural equation modeling (SEM). Two-hundred six individuals completed surveys after sexual activity regarding their communication behaviors during the PSTI. The results revealed that individuals who orgasmed assessed greater benefits/fewer risks to disclosing after sexual activity, and orgasm was indirectly associated with positive relational disclosures through risk-benefit assessments. However, positive relational disclosures after sexual activity were not predictive of relationship satisfaction. Rather, perceiving greater benefits/fewer risks to disclosing was associated with increased relationship satisfaction, and orgasm was indirectly related to relationship satisfaction through risk-benefit assessments. Together, these findings suggest that fundamental communication and relational processes occur after sexual activity and that assessments of the potential outcomes of post-sex communication have important effects on relationship well-being.

Journal Article 2: Fowler, C., & Gasiorek, J. (2017). Depressive symptoms, excessive reassurance seeking, and relationship maintenance. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 34, 91–113.

Abstract: Using a sample of 143 heterosexual, ethnically diverse couples, we explored the consequences of individuals’ depressive symptomology and excessive reassurance seeking (ERS) for (a) the efforts they and their partners make to maintain their relationship and (b) the satisfaction reported by each relational party. Data were analyzed using an extension of the actor–partner interdependence model. We found actor effects of depression on satisfaction and on relationship maintenance behavior. We also detected significant actor effects of ERS on relationship maintenance behavior. There was inconsistent evidence of partner effects and of the predicted indirect effects. Results suggest that depression and the tendency to engage in ERS may exert countervailing influences on the enactment of relationship maintenance: For both men and women, depression was a negative predictor of self-reported relationship maintenance, whereas ERS was a positive predictor. We suggest that ERS could be considered a form of relationship maintenance in its own right.

Journal Article 3: Pan, W., Feng, B., & Skye Wingate, V. (2018). What you say is what you get: How self-disclosure in support seeking affects language use in support provision in online support forums. Journal of Language & Social Psychology, 37, 3–27.

Abstract: This experimental study examined how depth of self-disclosure (baseline, peripheral, core) in support-seeking posts influenced forum viewers’ interaction involvement and reciprocal self-disclosure in their responses. A series of competing hypotheses derived from several theoretical frameworks were tested. Results obtained from computerized text analyses showed that self-concept self-disclosure was associated with higher levels of interaction involvement and reciprocal self-disclosure in viewers’ response messages. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Journal Article 4: Rains, S. A., & Brunner, S. R. (2018). The outcomes of broadcasting self-disclosure using new communication technologies: Responses to disclosure vary across one’s social network. Communication Research, 45, 659–687.

Abstract: Several new communication technologies have made it relatively easy for individuals to broadcast a single self-disclosure directly to almost everyone with whom they share a relationship—ranging from close friends to little-known acquaintances. Drawing from research on self-disclosure and the negativity effect, two studies were conducted to test the notion that the interpersonal and relational outcomes of broadcasting positive and negative self-disclosures are not uniform. The results of the cross-sectional survey offer evidence that the outcomes of positive and negative broadcasted disclosures vary depending on the receiver’s relationship with the discloser. The results from the experiment largely support the negativity effect explanation for differences in the outcomes of broadcasted disclosures. Relative to positive disclosures, negative broadcasted self-disclosures have a significantly greater impact on acquaintances than on friends’ perceptions of the discloser and their relationship.