Let's Talk About Death: Applying the Disclosure Decision-Making Model to Death Planning Disclosure

The disclosure decision-making model (DD-MM) explains an individual's decision-making process regarding whether they disclose personal health information to others and consists of three tenets (i.e., assessment of information, assessment of receiver, and disclosure efficacy). Whereas traditional DD-MM applications have focused on physiological disclosures (e.g., HIV diagnosis), this study investigates the non-visible, non-diagnosis context of disclosing desired death arrangement plans with others (i.e., how individuals wish their body to be memorialized following their death). Data from 467 individuals aged between 18 and 82 were collected through online surveys. Path analysis findings indicate that while perceptions of stigma, prognosis, and relevance to others (i.e., assessment of information) were significantly related to disclosure efficacy and anticipated response, only relevance to others was directly related to relational quality. Additionally, anticipated response and relational quality (i.e., assessment of receiver) as well as disclosure efficacy and anticipated response performed in accordance with the DD-MM. This study provides meaningful conclusions for agencies who aim to craft messages that will help resonate with, inform, and protect consumers from becoming susceptible to unethical practices in the death service industry. Limitations and future research avenues are discussed.