Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale – ESDS
Measures an individual's willingness to disclose different types of emotional experiences to others.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale – ESDS was developed by William E. Snell, Jr., Roland S. Miller, Sharyn S. Belk (1988). It is designed to measure Emotional Self-Disclosure. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Depression, Happiness, Jealousy, Anxiety, Anger, Calmness, Apathy, Fear.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Depression | 1,9,17,25,33 | 5 |
| Happiness | 2,10,18,26,34 | 5 |
| Jealousy | 3,11,19,27,35 | 5 |
| Anxiety | 4,12,20,28,36 | 5 |
| Anger | 5,13,21,29,37 | 5 |
| Calmness | 6,14,22,30,38 | 5 |
| Apathy | 7,15,23,31,39 | 5 |
| Fear | 8,16,24,32,40 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = I have not discussed this topic with my counselor, 1 = I have slightly discussed this topic with my counselor, 2 = I have moderately discussed this topic with my counselor, 3 = I have almost fully discussed this topic with my counselor, 4 = I have fully discussed this topic with my counselor.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Subscale Score Range (Higher scores indicate greater emotional self-disclosure): 0 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .77 to .91 for the subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.