It has been theorized that the need for interpersonal contact is continuous throughout life and is necessary for one's well-being. The concept of self-disclosure, the process of making the self known to other persons, has been associated with varying levels of well-being. The content and comprehensiveness of self-disclosure by the elderly to an adult child vis-a-vis self-disclosure to a friend was examined and the relationship between self-disclosure and well-being in the elderly was analyzed. A volunteer sample of 107 elderly persons from six New York City senior citizen centers completed Lohman's Life Satisfactiion Scale and a modified version of Moriwaki's Self Disclosure Questionnaire. Results showed that differences in content areas disclosed to an adult child and those disclosed to a friend were significant. There was also a significant relationship between the content revealed to an adult child and well-being. Disclosure may have been listed secondary to other basic material needs since the group studied had a lower than average socioeconomic status. But the finding that different aspects of the self were disclosed in greater amounts to different individuals suggests that the elderly have a need for continued interaction with different network systems. (ABB)