[The emotional burden of secrets. Consequences for somatic health and implications for health care]
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A A J Wismeijer1, A J J M Vingerhoets
1Departement Psychologie en Gezondheid, Prisma-gebouw, Kamer, AB Tilburg. a.a.j.wismeijer@uvt.nl
Background:
There is increasing evidence that emotionally burdensome secrets may play a role in predisposing an individual to develop somatic symptoms.
Aim:
To provide an overview of the empirical evidence and theories concerning the relations between secrets and somatic health and to discuss the implications of these associations for health care.
Method:
We searched for peer-reviewed publications in Medline, ScienceDirect, Psycinfo and Web of Science, using as search terms 'secrecy', 'geheimhouding', 'self-concealment', 'disclosure', 'inhibition' and 'health'.
Results:
Secrets are associated with an increased risk of somatic dysfunctioning, probably because they induce pathophysiological processes. The theories currently available provide adequate backing for further studies of this association.
Conclusion:
Secrets seem to provoke pathophysiological processes that can affect a person's physical wellbeing. This means that health care professionals must realize that the emotional burden of secrets may contribute to a patients somatic symptoms.
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