Self-disclosure and occupational stress in Chinese professionals

The relationship of self-disclosure with occupational stress and symptoms of stress was examined among 243 Hong Kong Chinese adult professionals. Self-disclosure was negatively correlated with both occupational stress and psychological symptoms of stress for disclosures of personal feelings and social relationships when disclosing to a Best Friend, indicating a stress-buffering effect. There was a positive correlation between occupational stress and psychological symptoms of stress for disclosure of personal feelings and information about social relationships when disclosing to Mother. While both sexes reported similar occupational stress, the total self-disclosure of women was higher than for men, and this was especially true for intimate topics. The implications of the results were discussed.