[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-599391-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-599391-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","college-students-with-invisible-illnesses-and-disabilities-disclosure-hiding-and-support","College Students with Invisible Illnesses and Disabilities - Disclosure, Hiding, and Support","","College students with invisible disabilities (SWIDs) form a largely unexamined population. This exploratory study examined disability disclosure experiences and the most useful forms of assistance for invisible illness or disability (IID) among 237 participants reporting 59 IIDs. Initial disclosures commonly occurred to friends and roommates, followed by disclosures to friends and faculty. Most students felt pressure to conceal their IID at college (64.1%), shaped by stressful situations and judgmental comments. 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Davidson  \nSusquehanna University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania  \nAbstract  \nCollege students with invisible disabilities (SWIDs) represent a hidden population whose experiences are largely unexamined. The purpose of this exploratory study was to learn about their disability disclosure experiences and the assistance they might find most useful in relation to their invisible illness or disability (IID). The study included 237 participants reporting 59 IIDs. Results indicated first disclosures were to friends and roommates and subsequent disclosures were to friends and faculty members. Additionally, most participants felt the need to hide their IID at college (64.1%) . Qualitative findings pointed to the influence of stressful situations and judgmental comments on participants’ hiding their IID. In addition, the study revealed SWIDs’ conceptions of support, the features that enabled disclosure, and supports needed when SWIDs struggle with their IID. Implications and ideas for future research were proposed.  \nPlease direct inquires about this manuscript to: Boenell Kline, [klinebj@susqu.edu](klinebj@susqu.edu)  \nCollege Student Affairs Journal, Volume 40(2), pp.121-135 ISSN 2381-2338  \nCopyright 2022 Southern Association for College Student Affairs All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.  \n122 College Student Affairs Journal Vol. 40, No. 3, 2022  \ncollege and those who did not.  \nDisability Disclosure  \nDisability Concealment  \nStatistics do not accurately represent the number of SWDs in higher education. Although many SWDs choose to initially disclose their disability to receive additional resources, others do not (Kranke et al., 2013); there are many reasons for not sharing this information. For non-disclosers, these decisions may be related to a desire for independence (Bolourian et al., 2018), a longing for normalcy, a lack of knowledge about campus resources (Marshak et al., 2010), fear (Kranke et al., 2013), an inability to articulate their need for support (Ward & Webster, 2018) or there maybe a current stability in the disability symptoms (Kranke et al., 2013) .  \nSpecifically, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chose not to disclose because they did not want tobe seen as different from their non-disabled peers (Bolourian et al., 2018) . Individuals with ASD indicated nervousness around disclosure because they felt their confidant might see them as incompetent or extraordinary (Miller et al., 2020) . Similarly, those with learning disabilities reported self-stigma and feelings of shame as reasons to conceal their disability (Orr & Goodman, 2010) . Those with multiple sclerosis noted symptoms as a predictor of disclosure in that participants chose to hide their disability if their symptoms were minor (Cook et al., 2017) . Conversely, those with anxiety indicated that the severity of anxiety symptoms prevented disclosure (Stein, 2013) .  \nDisability Disclosure and Intersecting Identities  \nFor other individuals, disclosure was influenced by intersecting identities. For example, Olney and Brockelman (2005), studying disability and gender, reported men being more concerned  \nCollege Students with Invisible Illnesses and Disabilities: Disclosure, Hiding, and Support 123  \nabout disability discovery than women. Additionally, they found men were more likely to minimize the impact of the disability on their daily living than women (Olney & Brockelman, 2005) . Similarly, Black adults who had a severe mental health diagnosis and/or history of addiction indicated racial stigma was a key influencer of their desire to disclose and seek help (Yu et al., 2021) . College students with ADHD and ASD discussed how their identities as a student with a disability influenced disclosure and noted concealing their disability and foregoing needed accom","cbCain1yzcLTrCok","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCain1yzcLTrCok","pdf",659331,15,"English","# Disability Disclosure\n## Disability Concealment\n# Disability Disclosure and Intersecting Identities\n# Disability Disclosure and Academic Interactions","[{\"question\":\"What factors influence whether college students with SWIDs disclose their invisible disability?\",\"answer\":\"Non-disclosure is linked to desires such as independence and normalcy, limited knowledge of campus resources, fear, difficulty articulating support needs, and symptom stability. Different disability types also show distinct disclosure barriers.\"},{\"question\":\"Who do SWIDs typically disclose to, and how does disclosure sequence differ?\",\"answer\":\"First disclosures are often made to friends and roommates. Subsequent disclosures commonly extend to friends and faculty members.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do many SWIDs feel the need to hide their invisible illness or disability at college?\",\"answer\":\"Most participants reported a strong need to conceal, with qualitative findings highlighting stressful situations and judgmental comments as key drivers of hiding.\"}]","College Students with Invisible Illnesses and Disabilities - Disclosure, Hiding, and Support | PDF",1792088680,38]