Perceptions of deception, divorce disclosures, and communication satisfaction with parents

Thomas, Candice E.; Booth‐Butterfield, Melanie; Booth-Butterfield, Steve

doi:10.1080/10570319509374519

Cited by 27 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Young adult children's perceptions of parents' ambiguity predicted lower communication satisfaction, and relational satisfaction followed in a similar trend, although statistically nonsignificant. This supports prior research indicating that when children perceived parents' communication to hide, minimize, or withhold information the parent-child relationship was hurt and offspring were dissatisfied with parents' communication (e.g., Cartwright & Seymour, 2002;Thomas et al, 1995). Overall, openness (e.g., Golish, 2003), even about negative, or inappropriate and sensitive topics (Afifi & McManus, 2010), appears to be more beneficial, at least from the child's perspective.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Ambiguous Divorce-Related Communication, Relational Closeness, Relational Satisfaction, and Communication Satisfaction

McManus

Nussbaum

2011

Western Journal of Communication

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Using Communication Privacy Management theory, the study argues parents' ambiguity during divorce-related stressor conversations influence parents' and young adult children's relational closeness, satisfaction, and communication satisfaction. Thirty-nine parent-young adult child dyads discussed a divorce-related stressor and reported their thoughts. Hierarchical regression models indicated children's perceptions of parents' ambiguity predicted lower communication satisfaction; however, parents' use of ambiguity was unrelated to relational closeness, satisfaction, or communication satisfaction. Tolerance for ambiguity did not moderate the relationships. Results suggest that offspring may not want detailed information; perceiving parents to use minimal ambiguity may contribute to lower communication satisfaction after discussing divorce-related stressors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Ambiguous Divorce-Related Communication, Relational Closeness, Relational Satisfaction, and Communication Satisfaction

McManus

Nussbaum

2011

Western Journal of Communication

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“…Parents have difficulty knowing what information, and how much information, to reveal to their children about the divorce (Afifi, 2003;Afifi, McManus, Hutchinson, & Baker, 2007). Parents need to provide their children with some information about the circumstances of the divorce, their relationship with the other parent, and the status of their family to reduce their children's uncertainty and maintain satisfactory relationships with them (Afifi & Schrodt, 2003b;Thomas, Booth-Butterfield, & Booth-Butterfield, 1995). Yet, too much information about the divorce, especially if it is negatively valenced and about the other parent, can be harmful to children's physical and mental health (Afifi et al, 2009;Koerner, Wallace, Lehman, Lee, & Escalante, 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents' Physiological Reactions to Their Parents' Negative Disclosures About the Other Parent in Divorced and Nondivorced Families

Afifi

Coho

2009

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage

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The purpose of this study was to determine how adolescents in divorced and nondivorced families respond psychologically and physiologically to their parents' negative disclosures when talking about their parents' relationship. The study also investigated how parents respond to their own disclosures about their relationship with the other parent. In general, the results illustrate the important role that adolescents' feelings of being caught can contribute to their well-being. The findings also supported the hypothesis that the valence of parental disclosures was a more important consideration than its frequency in the understanding of adolescents' reactions to their parents' disclosures, especially for adolescents from divorced families. Disclosure valence was also associated with parental anxiety, such that disclosure negativity predicted elevations in parents' anxiety during the discussion. Ultimately, children from divorced families who already felt caught between their parents and whose parents tended to disclose negative information about the other parent to them were more likely than other adolescents to report feeling anxious during that conversation. The results for changes in physiological arousal were not significant and were not consistent with the results for self-reported anxiety.

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“…Families grappling with divorce tend to embrace both strategies (Afifi & Schrodt, 2003). Clarity provided from information-seeking can help children cope and reduce uncertainty around key post-divorce tasks like renegotiating family bonds and boundaries (Thomas, Booth-Butterfield, & Booth-Butterfield, 1995;Westberg, Nelson, & Piercy, 2002). Additionally, open communication about uncertainty may increase intimacy between ACOD and their parents (Berger & Calabrese, 1975), an outcome that appears critical to continued support exchange between generations (Fingerman et al, 2012).…”

Section: Uncertainty Management Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Relational uncertainty management in adult children of divorce

Mikucki‐Enyart

Petitte

Wilder

2018

Journal of Applied Communication Research

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Utilizing uncertainty management theory (UMT) and a multiple goals theory of personal relationships (MGPR) the present study examined how adult children of divorce (ACOD) manage relational uncertainty following parental divorce. In-depth, semistructured interviews with 25 adult children who had experienced parental divorce when they were 18 years of age or older revealed two broad types of information acquisition strategies: deliberate (i.e., information-seeking and informationavoiding) and incidental (i.e., incidental information acquisition). Deliberate information acquisition strategies were animated by several goals, including reducing and maintaining uncertainty, avoiding feeling caught, and protection. Alongside goals, various constraints (e.g., target efficacy, coping efficacy) played a role in ACOD's relational uncertainty management. We discuss these results in relation to their theoretical and practical applications.

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Perceptions of deception, divorce disclosures, and communication satisfaction with parents

Cited by 27 publications

References 52 publications

Ambiguous Divorce-Related Communication, Relational Closeness, Relational Satisfaction, and Communication Satisfaction

Ambiguous Divorce-Related Communication, Relational Closeness, Relational Satisfaction, and Communication Satisfaction

Adolescents' Physiological Reactions to Their Parents' Negative Disclosures About the Other Parent in Divorced and Nondivorced Families

Relational uncertainty management in adult children of divorce

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