| Popis: |
Despite general stigma in the West related to spiritual or otherworldly experiences, many individuals believe that they have been contacted by a departed loved one. This phenomenon is called after-death communication, or ADC. Estimates of ADC in the general population indicate the widespread nature of these encounters. Yet, research has shown that individuals often feel reluctant to share these experiences due to stigma and fears of negative reception. In this study, I explored ADC disclosure trends and the effects of listener responses on ADC experiencers among adults living in the United States via CloudResearch (N = 321). To investigate ADC disclosure and the conditions that lead people to disclose (or to conceal) ADC, the creation of several new items was required. These items include r/s belief system interpretation, participant ADC interpretation, emotional reaction to ADC, ADC disclosure concerns, ADC disclosure desires, supportive listener responses, unsupportive listener responses, and effects of listener responses on individual reaction to ADC. These new variables demonstrated good reliability. Although this was not intended as a formal measure validation study, findings here provided some preliminary evidence for validity of the new measures as well by showing their associations with other related variables. The results of this study revealed that ADC disclosure is not associated with r/s affiliation. Individuals tend to share ADC more with family than with healthcare professionals. In line with study predictions, negative interpretations of ADC and interpreting ADC as a deeply personal experience are both associated with less ADC disclosure. Supportive listener responses predict positive emotions toward ADC as well as positive interpretations of ADC. However, unsupportive listener responses predict negative emotions toward ADC, negative interpretations of ADC, and concerns related to ADC disclosure. In sum, willingness to disclose ADC is associated with how experiencers have interpreted ADC. For experiencers who choose to share, listener responses predict both positive and negative reactions to ADC. These findings help to illuminate the conditions that lead people to disclose ADC as well as the relationship between listener responses and ADC interpretation by experiencers. |
