Manusov, ValerieCompton, Benjamin Lee2023-09-272023-09-272023-09-272023Compton_washington_0250E_25943.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/1773/50748Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2023Sexual self-disclosures involve individuals revealing or discussing their beliefs, attitudes, or desires about sexual topics (Byers & Demmons; Harris et al., 2014). To learn more about this process, this dissertation applied the Disclosure Decision-making Model (Greene, 2009) to self-disclosures of sexual desires with current partners. Participants (N = 326) completed an online survey that examined variables related to information assessment, receiver assessment, discloser efficacy, and message preparation. Using structural equation modeling, these factors predicted the likelihood of future disclosure and specific messages that individuals might use in the future if they had not disclosed previously. It also modeled the predictor variables with the same message forms used by those who had disclosed their sexual desires to their current partners. Among other findings, the primary factors that appeared to vary for those who had not disclosed and those who had were anticipated response and perceptions of partners’ sexual communal strength. The results showed that individuals were much more likely to use verbal than nonverbal messages when disclosing and, if disclosing, reported use of more direct than indirect forms. For those who disclosed, use of nonverbal messages was predicated on anticipated response and message preparation. Implications for interpersonal sexual communication and sex therapy are discussed.application/pdfen-USnoneDecision MakingDisclosure Decision-Making ModelSelf-DisclosureSexual CommunicationSexual DesiresCommunicationSexualityCommunicationsThesis