Using Communication Privacy Management Theory to Explore undocumented/Daca Status Disclosure in College Students

Bibliographic Data

ID21633334
AuthorsBelén Gamiño (San Diego State University), Scott C Roesch (0000-0001-6574-1916, San Diego State University), Allison A Vaughn (0000-0001-8454-9284, San Diego State University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume77
Issue4
Pages614-632
Publication date2026-07-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunication Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1051-0974 • E-ISSN: 1745-1035
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10510974.2025.2532498
OpenAlexW4412421417
LanguageEN
References cited31

Actively concealing private information is psychologically taxing and can be detrimental to health, whereas disclosing certain kinds of private information may result in legal and financial consequences. The current study examined college students’ disclosure of their undocumented immigration status through the lens of Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory. Participants (N = 118; 52% women) were college students recruited through student resource and cultural identity centers as well as through social media. Students were at least 18 years of age (M = 23), enrolled at a 2-year or 4-year college/university, able to read and respond to online surveys in English, and self-identified as being undocumented (62%) or holding DACA status (33%). Participants took an online survey using Qualtrics software and completed the Communication Privacy Management Scale (risk, coordination, ownership, and emotional response subscales). Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a 5-factor solution best fit the data (i.e. risk, coordination, ownership, upsetting emotions, relieved emotions). Path analyses showed most of the CPM subscales related to each other in theoretically meaningful ways for upsetting emotions but not for relieved emotions. Contrary to theory, ownership was not related to risk or boundary coordination. The current study provides partial support for the use of CPM as an appropriate framework from which to analyze the disclosure of immigration status for undocumented college students on their campus. Understanding the relationship among the CPM variables allows for a nuanced understanding of how students navigate disclosure of undocumented immigration status, and future studies could explore the health and wellbeing consequences of disclosure

Higher education · Political science · Sociology · Law · Patient Dignity and Privacy · Privacy, Security, and Data Protection · Psychology · Social Psychology

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