The enactment of relational maintenance when Guatemalan parents are forcibly separated from their families due to deportation

Valdez, Carmen R.; Schlag, Karen; Vangelisti, Anita L.; Padilla, Brian

doi:10.1080/00909882.2023.2206460

Journal of Applied Communication Research

2023

DOI: 10.1080/00909882.2023.2206460

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The enactment of relational maintenance when Guatemalan parents are forcibly separated from their families due to deportation

Carmen R. Valdez

Karen Schlag

Anita L. Vangelisti

et al.

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Cited by 2 publications

References 44 publications

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Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: exploring the lived experiences of parents and children

Mendez Murillo,

Kam,

Merolla

2023

Human Communication Research

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Prior relational maintenance research primarily (a) considers only one family member’s perspective, (b) explores introspective communication, and (c) examines romantic relationships among highly resourced white samples in the United States. This study considered low-income, Latina/o/x/e immigrant families’ maintenance before, during, and after migration-related separation, using standpoint theory, social communication theory, and the long-distance relational maintenance model. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Latina/o/x/e parents and children who lived in separate countries (N = 20 dyads). Findings cast light on temporal (e.g., fathers often provided little to no notice to children of the upcoming separation, complicating the families’ ability to prospectively co-construct relational continuity) and cultural factors (e.g., endorsing traditional gender norms, relying on mothers to explain the separation to children after it had begun) in families’ maintenance processes. This study offers new insight into how families communicatively construct “ongoingness” in their bonds despite emotional, technological, and legal challenges posed by migration-related separation.

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Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: exploring the lived experiences of parents and children

Mendez Murillo,

Kam,

Merolla

2023

Human Communication Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Relational Maintenance for Separated Latina/o/x/e Immigrant Parents and Their Children: A Focus on Primary Caregivers as Communication Gatekeepers

Mendez Murillo,

Kam

2024

Communication Research

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Latina/o/x/e families who experience migration-related separation face the heart-wrenching decision to live apart from each other, often to obtain better life opportunities for the entire family. In these situations, children live in a country separate from one or more parents, while a primary caregiver (e.g., the other parent, a grandmother, an aunt) looks after the children. Utilizing semi-structured interview data with 20 family triads (i.e., separated parent, separated child, primary caregiver) and drawing from the long-distance relational maintenance model (LDRMM), this study explores how primary caregivers help or impede separated parents and children’s relational maintenance, while living apart in two different countries. Prospectively, caregivers were usually tasked with the responsibility of informing the child and helping them understand the upcoming family separation. Introspectively, most primary caregivers facilitated relational maintenance by directly connecting the child with the parent, providing the resources for the two parties to communicate (e.g., cellphone, WIFI), and emphasizing the benefits of the separation. Retrospectively, primary caregivers helped the children understand the separated parents’ return; however, this often came at the expense of the primary caregiver feeling forgotten or overlooked by the child.

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The enactment of relational maintenance when Guatemalan parents are forcibly separated from their families due to deportation

Cited by 2 publications

References 44 publications

Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: exploring the lived experiences of parents and children

Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: exploring the lived experiences of parents and children

Relational Maintenance for Separated Latina/o/x/e Immigrant Parents and Their Children: A Focus on Primary Caregivers as Communication Gatekeepers

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