How working women navigate communication privacy management boundaries when seeking social support during cancer treatment

Abstract

Working women diagnosed with cancer face difficult decisions about disclosing personal information. A 2017 survey for Cancer and Careers, a non-profit organization assisting cancer patients and survivors with finding and continuing employment, found that women are more likely than men to share their diagnosis with work colleagues, and do so more often to feel supported by co-workers. However, disclosure guidelines for communication about having cancer are difficult to establish, as they may vary widely depending on the individual and the situation. Most research about health self-disclosure has focused on the initial decision to divulge that one has an illness and on the depth of that initial disclosure. The current study was designed to further describe how working women navigate disclosures not only during the initial diagnosis, but throughout treatment and into recovery to gain needed social support. Using the typology of social support and the tenets of Communication Privacy Management Theory, the goal of this study is to share individual narratives of how working women change privacy rules to procure the type of social support needed in each stage of their experience.

Employees’ Perceived Risk of Discussing COVID-19 Concerns in the Workplace: The Impact of Perceived Organizational Support and Policy Communication on Voicing Health Concerns in Times of Crisis

“…As such, when individuals are making decisions about disclosing private information there is an inherent risk associated with the disclosure. While there are a variety of issues in the workplace that may make an individual feel vulnerable, disclosure of health-related information and concerns in the workplace creates particular challenges for employees (e.g., Elkins, 2018;Smith & Brunner, 2017;Westerman, Currie-Mueller, Motto, & Curti, 2017;Westerman, Miller, Reno, & Spates, 2015;Wittenberg-Lyles & Villagran, 2006). Westerman et al (2015) note, "Employees must make decisions about how to share their health information in ways that allow them to function effectively at work and that are appropriate to their workplace, supervisor, coworkers, and themselves" (p. 379).…”