Social Disclosure Among Coworkers Without Disabilities in Supported Employment Settings

The depth and breadth of reported self-disclosure by workers without disabilities (respondents) for three types of coworkers (i.e., work acquaintances, work friends, and social friends) were assessed. Reported self-disclosure of coworkers to supported employees was also compared, and the extent to which self-disclosure by respondents to job coaches correlated with intimacy of relationships between supported employees and respondents was analyzed. Results indicated that depth of self-disclosure can contribute to friendship formation, but coworkers did little self-disclosing to supported employees. Self-disclosure to job coaches did not correlate significantly with the development of relationships between the coworkers and supported employees. There is a need to teach supported employees to self-disclose to their coworkers and to prompt coworkers to talk about themselves in depth.