Mental illness disclosure from confidants’ perspective within romantic relationships: Validation and extension of the disclosure quality model

This study aimed to validate and extend the disclosure quality model (DQM) in the context of mental illness disclosure in romantic relationships. Participants (N = 217) were individuals who received a disclosure of mental illness from their romantic partner within the past year. The results provided validation of the DQM: greater openness (access to information and candor) in mental illness disclosure was related to higher ratings of disclosure quality, which, in turn, contributed to greater post-disclosure relational closeness. Further, our results showed that: (a) openness (particularly access to information) predicted participants’ willingness to communicate with their romantic partner in the future about their mental illness and (b) inferred disclosure reasons contributed to disclosure quality, closeness, or willingness to communicate in different ways.