Self-disclosure in the perspective of students' cultural background in the faculty of health sciences of Jenderal Soedirman University

Abstract

Background: Self-disclosure is important for students. Low openness could affect students' concentrationduring class and when working on a thesis. Moreover it can also reduce interest, reduce motivation or even make their behavior to be less adaptive. One of the factors that could influence one's self-disclosure is cultural background. The objective of this study is to understand self-disclosure in the perspective of the students' cultural background in the Faculty of Health Sciences, JenderalSoedirman University. Method: This study used a descriptive research design with a cross sectional approach. Total sampling technique was used, with a sample of 337 respondents. General Disclosure Scale (GDS) questionnaire was used as the research instrument. The statistical test that was used in this study was the univariate test. Results: The majority of respondents were females (74.5%), culture was Javanese (58.5%), and expressed themselves through social media (82.5%). Men had a higher value of self-disclosure with an average score of 142.80 ± 14.937 and the culture with the highest score was the Jambi culture with an average of 151.00. Conclusion: The average score of self-disclosure was not very different from the percentage score of intent dimension as the highest and amount dimension as the lowest.