Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2024
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Angela Liegey-Dougall
Second Advisor
Logan Watts
Third Advisor
Tracy Greer
Abstract
Despite extensive research on the psychological effects of mass disasters on survivors, the positive outcomes for volunteers and forensic workers, along with coping strategies to alleviate job-related stress, remain understudied. Self-disclosure and social support play pivotal roles in mitigating stress and fostering positive outcomes. This study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to describe dentists’ experiences of self-disclosure and social support through the 31 years since conducting the postmortem identifications following the Branch Davidian Tragedy. The study was preregistered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) to promote transparency in research. We interviewed a subset (N = 14) out of the 50 dentists who volunteered for the postmortem identification task, using an 11-question interview protocol. All participants identified as White and non-Hispanic, with two women included in the sample. The mean age of participants was 70 years (SD = 3.84). Only two dentists had formal forensic training, while half of the participants had some level of forensic experience. Themes were first found within participants, then identified across participants. Theme saliency was determined based on a minimum of 50% agreement among participants. We uncovered seven distinct themes across three time points. The first time point spanned from the beginning of the identification process to its conclusion. Here, authority-instructed confidentiality shaped disclosure patterns and limited the participants' ability to seek support. During this time, spousal interactions and colleague support became pivotal to their experience and helped them process. The second time point occurred after the investigation was completed and participants were able to discuss their experiences with the public. They engaged with the public to varying extents and received a wide range of responses. The third period represented an extended timeframe over 30+ years. This was when the dentists observed shifts in their interactions about the case and experienced positive outcomes from their disclosure, such as strengthened relationships and professional bonds. This study highlighted the vital role of self-disclosure and social support in the long-term cognitive processing of forensic dentists. Future research should examine the factors that influence self-disclosure in greater depth, including the pre-existing relational dynamics between the discloser and confidant, the degree of commonality between the confidant and the stressor, whether trauma is present, and the underlying motivations that drive individuals to disclose.
Keywords
Self-disclosure, Social support, Forensic, Dentists, Qualitative research, Interpretative phenomenological analysis, IPA, Postmortem identification, Trauma, Branch Davidians
Disciplines
Community Psychology | Health Psychology
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Izuagbe, Melissa, "Dentists’ Accounts of Interpersonal Interactions Three Decades After the Postmortem Identification of the Branch Davidians" (2024). Psychology Theses. 162.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/psychology_theses/162