| The benefits of disclosure following stressful events are hypothesized to include effective physical and psychological adjustment. In recent years, society has begun to rely on the Internet and instant messaging interactions as the primary method of communication. The consequences of this increase in computer-mediated communications are still not clear, with some studies showing positive benefits (e.g., Clark & Everhart, 2007; Doyle, 2002) and others negative (e.g., Iacovelli & Valenti, 2009; Kraut et al., 1998).;The present study investigated the differences in psychological and physiological adjustment following disclosure through real and virtual modalities. Researchers have found that individuals are more disinhibited when communicating through a computer (Suler, 2004), while face-to-face communications provide a greater level of direct support, including vocal intonations, eye contact, and facial expressions. Thus, face-to-face interactions may provide a greater level of perceived support than instant messaging communications.;Eighty female undergraduate students were asked to view a dramatized rape scene. Following this viewing, participants in the disclosure groups discussed their thoughts and feelings about the video with trained female confederates through face-to-face or instant messaging interactions. The non-disclosure groups discussed a neutral topic through the same two modes of communication. Positive and negative affect, pulse rate, and galvanic skin response were assessed at baseline, following the acute stressor, and following the conversation. The conversations were content analyzed for emotion and cognitive words. At the conclusion of the study, participants choose between the telephone number and e-mail address to student counseling for additional support.;The results demonstrated that the disclosure groups experienced better physiological adjustment than the non-disclosure groups, although self-report of negative affect improved significantly more for the non-disclosure groups. The face-to-face disclosure group showed greater physiological adjustment compared to the instant messaging disclosure group, with no psychological adjustment differences. The face-to-face and disclosure groups perceived greater levels of support than the instant messaging and non-disclosure groups. Participants preferred the e-mail address to the telephone number for student counseling independent of disclosure or modality condition. The current findings suggest that social interaction modality impacts physiological coping following stressful events, with implications for alternative ways of delivering psychotherapy services. |
