Exploring the Communication of Evangelical Families: The Association Between Evangelical Gender Role Ideology and Family Communication Patterns

This study examines the relationship between the Evangelical gender role ideologies termed Complementarianism and Egalitarianism and conversation- and conformity-orientation communication patterns stemming from the general theory of family communication. A nonrandom group (N = 124) of Evangelical parents were surveyed using a cross-sectional, self-report survey design. Specific differences were discovered in the perceptions of communication in families for individuals holding conservative Complementarian and progressive Egalitarian gender role ideologies. Evangelical parents who endorsed a more Egalitarian family gender role ideology reported greater use of conversation-oriented communication patterns in their families whereas respondents holding a more Complementarian family gender role ideology reported more use of conformity-oriented communication patterns in their families.     

Intrafamily secrets in various family configurations: A communication boundary management perspective

Although extant literature suggests that blended, single‐parent, and biological/adoptive (i.e., nuclear) families differ in terms of the boundaries that separate family members, little systematic research has compared such boundaries. The current investigation examined this issue by focusing on communication boundaries as indexed by intrafamily secrets. As expected, college students in blended families reported that their original parents and siblings were more likely than their stepparents or stepsiblings to know the family secret that they reported in this study. This suggests the presence of a relatively rigid communication boundary between original family members and stepfamily members. Interestingly, participants in blended families, single‐parent families, and nuclear families were quite similar in terms of: (a) the number of intrafamily secrets they perceived in their family, (b) the topics of the secrets they reported, and (c) the functions they reported being served by the secrets. Also, regardless of family form, there was an inverse association between participants’ family satisfaction and their perceptions of how many intrafamily secrets their family held. Overall, in contrast to the literature that often portrays blended families and single‐parent families as particularly problematic, these results suggest remarkable similarities across family configurations in terms of communication boundaries.     

Coparental Communication as a Mediator of Interparental Conflict and Young Adult Children's Mental Well-Being

This study tested young adults’ perceptions of supportive and antagonistic coparental communication as mediators of interparental conflict (i.e., demand/withdraw patterns and aggression) and young adults’ mental well-being. Participants included 493 young adult children from intact and divorced families. Although young adults from divorced families reported higher levels of interparental conflict and antagonistic coparental communication than those from intact families, no significant differences emerged in the pattern of associations among the latent constructs in both groups. Bootstrapping analyses revealed that demand/withdraw patterns and mothers’ aggression had both direct effects and indirect effects on young adults’ mental well-being through antagonistic coparental communication. Consequently, coparental communication may function as a risk mechanism linking the adverse effects of witnessing interparental conflict to children's adjustment.     

The Assimilation of In-Laws: The Impact of Newcomers on the Communication Routines of Families

Although our popular culture stereotypes relationships with in-laws as problematic, these relationships have largely been overlooked by communication researchers. In contrast to existing studies focusing on dyadic relationships, this study looked at how in-laws are assimilated into the family group as newcomers, using structuration theory to examine how routines are reproduced in families. In personal interviews, participants described how their families had assimilated newcomers or how they themselves were received into their spouse's families. A thematic analysis revealed specific communication routines that had to be adjusted upon entry of newcomers, including conversational topics, expected amount of interaction, use of joking, and conversational styles. Adjustments to these routines, although difficult to negotiate because they were not openly discussed, helped to transform the family of childhood into the family of adulthood. Structuration theory would suggest that the perceived stress in relationships with in-laws occurs because newcomers upset the comfort of families by disrupting their communication routines.     

The Assimilation of In-Laws: The Impact of Newcomers on the Communication Routines of Families

Although our popular culture stereotypes relationships with in-laws as problematic, these relationships have largely been overlooked by communication researchers. In contrast to existing studies focusing on dyadic relationships, this study looked at how in-laws are assimilated into the family group as newcomers, using structuration theory to examine how routines are reproduced in families. In personal interviews, participants described how their families had assimilated newcomers or how they themselves were received into their spouse's families. A thematic analysis revealed specific communication routines that had to be adjusted upon entry of newcomers, including conversational topics, expected amount of interaction, use of joking, and conversational styles. Adjustments to these routines, although difficult to negotiate because they were not openly discussed, helped to transform the family of childhood into the family of adulthood. Structuration theory would suggest that the perceived stress in relationships with in-laws occurs because newcomers upset the comfort of families by disrupting their communication routines.     

Enacted Goal Attention in Family Conversations about End-of-life Health Decisions

Most extant research on end-of-life communication in families has been based on the assumption that more communication is better communication. We used a multiple goals theoretical perspective to demonstrate that the quality of communication about end-of-life decisions matters. Members of 121 older parent/adult child dyads (N = 242) engaged in an elicited conversation about end-of-life health choices and reported their assessments of the conversation. Using multilevel linear modeling, we found that outside ratings of a person's communication quality (i.e., attention to task, identity, and relational goals) as well as outside ratings of the partner's communication quality were positively associated with the person's reported conversational satisfaction and hopefulness and negatively associated with the person's hurt feelings and relational distancing.     

网络传播效果聚焦家庭和社区

本文将美国已经发表的对网络传播效果的研究将其按网络对个人,家庭和组织三个层面的影响划分并考察后,揭示出网络传播效果研究在三个研究层面上采取的不同价值取向和对效果的评价标准。以此为基础,本文认为在现代化背景下考察网络新技术对家庭和社区关系的效果可以作为理解网络社会效果并建立起中程理论的有效路径,同时以家庭和社区为聚焦并将社会结构和个人感受作为背景的研究有利于体现出学者的人文关怀和社会责任。从这一立场出发,本文提出了一些未得到充分重视的研究领域和假设。     

Lying and deception detection in television families

This study explores the use of lying and lie‐detection among television families in situation comedies. The findings indicate that (a) lying was prevalent on these television shows; (b) lies to spare others were told most frequently; (c) the majority of lies went undetected; (d) the husband/father character told the most lies; (e) children were the most honest characters in situation comedies and (f) peripheral characters were the recipients of many lies. Two conclusions were drawn from these findings. First, this study gives insight into the content of family communication as presented on television. Secondly', the study suggests television families mirror real families with respect to family structure and the ability to detect deception.     

Dialectical Tensions Underpinning Family Farm Succession Planning

Though succession planning is vital if a farm is to survive, many farm families fail to take necessary succession planning actions. Semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 members of nine small-farm families in Pennsylvania revealed that dialectical tensions surrounding a farm transfer influence succession planning readiness and action. This report identifies five indigenous dialectical tensions that influence succession planning and describes five praxis patterns families use to manage them. Practical applications are outlined for agriculture estate planning professionals and others involved in family inheritance communication services to provide effective assistance to farm families in their succession planning efforts.     

Relational tensions,narrative, and materiality: intergenerational communication in families with undocumented immigrant parents

ABSTRACT

This research explores the competing discourses and relational tensions that emerge in intergenerational communication in immigrant families with undocumented parents through in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino/a parents and their children living in New York City. Through the articulation of three themes, we illustrate how material realities affiliated with a lack of legal status incite unique discursive tensions in family relationships that manifest in family narratives. This study lends scholarly insight into the ways undocumented immigrants and their families communicatively navigate their uncertain life terrain through conversation about immigration status, conflicting career dreams, and hybrid cultural values. Using these findings as guidance, we offer practical applications related to communal coping and family advocacy for professionals and volunteers working in immigrant-serving community organizations.     

Testing a mediational model of the effect of family communication patterns on student perceptions of the impact of the college transition through social communication apprehension

An undergraduate college student’s ability to transition successfully to college has been identified as one of the most pressing concerns for institutions of higher education. To understand the challenges associated with transitioning to college and suggest interventions from a communication perspective, we test a mediational model based on family communication patterns theory (FCP) and the communication apprehension perspective (CA). The model examines the influence of FCP and CA on students’ perceptions of the impact of the college transition on their lives. A survey of 2252 students about to transition to college indicated that conversation orientation was associated with lower CA. Both conversation orientation and conformity orientation were associated with more positive perceptions of the impact of the transition to college. An indirect effect was found from conversation orientation to the perceived impact through CA. Practical implications for college retention specialists and educators, families, and students including a pre-transition visualization intervention are discussed.     

Don’t You Know What Causes That? Advice,Celebration, and Justification in a Large Families Bulletin Board

A thematic analysis of an on‐line bulletin board for parents of large families revealed three prominent patterns of talk related to advice seeking and giving, celebration of family, and justification of family size. This combination of discursive behaviors seem to be largely social supportive in nature and may have implications regarding the lack of face‐to‐face social support for large families and the potential importance of communication within on‐line groups for providing that support.     

英国格拉斯哥科学中心渗透职业教育的启示

英国格拉斯哥科学中心以联合学校、家庭和社区等多种方式对学生开展职业教育。如基于常设展览“助力未来”向学生渗透与能源相关的职业信息内容;以苏格兰的“卓越课程”改革方案为标准,开设“我的实景工作天地”和“成就挑战”课程进行科学探究活动,对学生进行职业体验教育,将职业教育延伸到学校、家庭和社区;并通过互联网开展职业能力测试,为学生提供职业生涯规划所需要的帮助。本文提出借助科技馆平台联合学校及家庭、社区,基于科技馆的常设展览和科学探究活动对学生进行职业体验教育,使科技馆成为学生了解、体验职业教育的窗口,实现科学技术普及与社会需求无缝接轨,促进科普教育与职业教育一体化。     

Family Communication Patterns and Cognitive Processing: Conversation and Conformity Orientations as Predictors of Informational Reception Apprehension

This study examined the unique and combined associations among family communication patterns (i.e., conversation and conformity orientations) and young adult children's informational reception apprehension (IRA; i.e., listening anxiety and intellectual inflexibility). Participants included 592 young adult children from first-marriage and postdivorce families. Results indicated that family conversation orientations are inversely associated with listening anxiety and intellectual inflexibility, whereas conformity orientations are positively associated with both traits. Furthermore, an interaction effect between conversation and conformity orientations emerged, such that high-conformity orientations moderate (or reduce) the inverse association between family conversation orientations and young adults' listening anxiety. Among the more important implications in this study is the finding that family communication patterns have a small but meaningful association with individuals' information-processing skills.     

Prisons,old cars,and Christmas trees: A metaphoric analysis of familial communication

This paper is a metaphoric analysis that explores college students’ perceptions of their families in relation to their family of origin, concept of family, and family communication. Metaphors were thematically analyzed and placed in categories of positive, negative and neutral responses given by individuals. Constant comparative method was also used to identify themes and dimensions among the metaphors. Throughout the results, students had an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward their family of origin and the concept of family. Responses about family communication, however, tended to range mainly from a neutral to negative perception. Additional results, implications, and future directions for family communication research are also discussed.     

“Be the change you want to see”: A three-part semester-long assignment in an interracial communication class

Courses: This three-part semester-long assignment was designed for an undergraduate course in interracial communication. While interracial communication is the primary focus of this assignment, it could easily be adapted to a variety of courses focused on diversity with the goals of improving communication and connectedness among members of other social and cultural groups.

Objectives: The interracial communication course seeks to promote a better understanding of, and sensitivity to, the communication dynamics of interracial interactions.     

Self-Help Books About Communication and the Communication Course: An Exercise in Assessing Popular Notions of Communication Using Theory

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students evaluate practical advice about communication with theories of communication

Applicable courses: This activity can be adopted by a variety of different communication courses including: persuasion, interpersonal (family, gender, and/or intercultural), organizational or small-group communication, and other communication courses     

Family Communication Patterns and Adolescent Experiences During Parental Military Deployment and Reintegration: The Role of Inappropriate Parental Disclosures and Perceived Family Understanding

This study examines associations between adolescent reports of family communication patterns (FCPs) and difficulties experienced during the deployment and reintegration of a military parent. Data from 106 adolescents (9–17 years) in 72 National Guard families where a parent had recently returned from overseas deployment were analyzed to examine direct and indirect links between FCPs, perceived family understanding, inappropriate parental disclosures, and adolescent difficulties. Results indicate direct effects for conformity orientation, with it being inversely associated with adolescent difficulties during both deployment and reintegration. Conversation orientation exerts mixed effects on adolescent difficulties during deployment. At a trend level, conversation orientation shares a direct, negative association with adolescent difficulties during deployment but also an indirect, positive association via family inappropriate parental disclosures. Implications of the findings for future research on FCPs as well as programs working with military families are discussed.