The Mediating Role of Sibling Maintenance Behavior Expectations and Perceptions in the Relationship Between Family Communication Patterns and Relationship Satisfaction

Abstract

Sibling relationships are influenced both by the behaviors performed within the relationship (e.g., relational work; Myers et al., 2001) and by the family system as a whole (White & Klein, 2008). This study extends family communication patterns theory (FCP) by examining whether communicative relationship maintenance plays a role in the relationship between FCP and sibling relationship satisfaction. Data from 327 adult siblings from across the United States tested using Hayes (2013) PROCESS revealed that conversation and conformity orientation had positive indirect effects on sibling relationship satisfaction through both (a) relational maintenance expectations and (b) perceptions of sibling actual maintenance behavior in nearly all models (i.e., including positivity, openness, assurances, networks, and tasks maintenance behaviors). The results suggest that the parent-child relationship remains important long after children become adults as it continues to influence interpersonal relationships with others. Future directions for communication scholars are discussed along with theoretical implications for research on family communication patterns and the maintenance strategy framework.

Parent–Child Relationship Satisfaction: The Influence of Family Communication Orientations and Relational Maintenance Behaviors

“…Furthermore, children’s changes in residential location outside of the family household may render referential interactions, specifically shared tasks and networks, less relevant (Morr Serewicz et al, 2007). The parent–child communication environment, however, clearly remains important during emerging adulthood (Dorrance Hall & McNallie, 2016).…”

“…Baxter and Pederson (2013) found that children’s perceived conversation orientation was positively associated with children’s satisfaction in parent–child relationships; children’s perceived conformity orientation was not significantly related to relationship satisfaction. In addition, Dorrance Hall and McNallie (2016) established a link between parent–child conversation orientation and satisfaction within sibling relationships. The limited findings suggest that conversation orientation corresponds with better relational health.…”

The link between communication competence and family communication patterns

“…SEM was chosen because this technique is a type of multivariate statistical analysis that can handle the relationship of several explanatory variables despite multicollinearity. The advantages of this method include being immune or robust, not requiring various assumptions or conditions, being suitable for all types of data scales and not requiring a large number of samples (Hair, Black, Babin and Anderson, 2010). Figure 1 explains that the main issue discussed in this study is the quality of the relationship between parents and children with autism.…”

Family communication patterns, mediated communication, and well-being: A communication interdependence perspective on parent–adult child relationships

“…People with higher conversation orientation report less anxiety (Ledbetter & Schrodt, 2008). Conversation orientation is also positively associated with closeness between family members (Afifi & Olson, 2005) and young adults’ family satisfaction (Baxter & Pederson, 2013), and relationship satisfaction among siblings (Dorrance Hall & McNallie, 2016). Research is less clear about how conformity orientation affects well-being.…”