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Via analysis of online survey data of 262 people aged 18 to 70 in the United States who have been involved in a long-distance romantic relationship (LDR) since 2005, we investigate how paper, audio, visual, and digital communication formats may be used and viewed as differentially meaningful. While in most intimate relationships, digital formats such as e-mail, messaging, and texts are frequently used, LDR couples are more likely to use and find most meaningful video chat and audio platforms compared with paper or digital formats. The reason for each platform’s meaningfulness varies according to survey respondents’ subjective understandings. Audio and visual formats are seen as meaningful because they offer intimacy, paper formats offer thoughtfulness, and digital formats offer ease as well as thoughtfulness. This research contributes to understanding the subjectively constructed meaning of ever-changing communication platforms, as well as definitions of shared sociomental spaces, for couples who are geographically separated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents in foster care are removed from their families of origin and are placed with foster families for temporary care until they are able to be granted a more permanent placement. This purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the bonding experience of adolescents in foster care = with their foster parents. This study included 10 foster parents who had an African-American adolescent between the ages of 12 to 18 in their care. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analysis began with coding to develop an understanding of the bonding experiences between adolescents and their foster parents. Four processes emerged that seemed to influence bonding: communicating in conflict with empathy or assertion, sharing personal time, creating rituals, and offering support. Foster parents appeared to demonstrate the processes when there was a focus on the adolescent being a part of the family. This present study has implications for theory, research, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship satisfaction has consistently been associated with numerous important intrapersonal, interpersonal, and familial outcomes. In accordance with affection exchange theory, positive interaction between romantic partners should contribute to greater relationship satisfaction. However, what is less understood is the specific theoretical mechanism through which this process might occur. This study's findings reveal that affectionate communication (given and received) positively predicted relationship satisfaction indirectly via the serial mediation of partner commitment and couple quality. This model was tested using a sample of participants of the ELEVATE relationship education program (N = 2235). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, including a call for further exploration of other theoretical pathways that may impact relationship education program evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-income Black fathers have been portrayed in the media and in research as uninvolved and disengaged from their children. The current study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study (N = 2578) to examine adolescents' reports of relationships and interaction with their biological fathers. The results showed there were no significant differences among Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and Other fathers for adolescents' perceptions of closeness or interaction with fathers. After accounting for statistical controls, the association between race/ethnicity and father involvement was not significantly moderated by mother-father residential status. The results substantiate what other researchers have concluded: low-income, nonresident, and coresident Black fathers are no less involved with their children than fathers in other racial/ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates associations between (a) relationship satisfaction and intimate partner violence (IPV: psychological, physical, and sexual) and (b) observed couple communication behavior. Mixed-sex couples (N = 291) were recruited via random digit dialing. Partners completed the Quality of Marriage Index (Norton, 1983), the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus et al., 1996), and one female-initiated and one male-initiated 10-min conflict conversations. Discussions were coded with Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System, 2nd Generation (Heyman et al., 2015). As hypothesized, lower satisfaction was associated with more hostility (p =.018) and less positivity (p <.001); more extensive IPV was associated with more hostility (p <.001). For negative reciprocity, there was a dissatisfaction × IPV extent × conversation-initiator interaction (p <.006). Results showed that conflict behaviors of mixed-sex couples are related to the interplay among gender, satisfaction, and the severity of couple-level IPV. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic has challenged couples and family relationships and resulted in conflict. Albeit the challenges, some positive outcomes on people may have been possibly protecting and repairing their relationships. The current study aimed to explore the potential barriers and facilitators for individuals. Online Photovoice method was applied to 118 individuals, who were in a romantic relationship. Data were analyzed using the Online Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to identify themes. The findings revealed 16 facilitators and 13 barrier themes. Among those themes, spending more time with the loved ones, finding opportunities to develop spirituality and peace, and using technology to sustain a sense of connectedness, were the most frequently reported facilitators. On the other hand, the most expressed barriers were reported as the Covid-19 restrictions, home confinement, separation from family, and having destructive feelings. Implications for future research and mental health providers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, discrimination toward Hispanic/Latino Americans has escalated, threatening the health of Hispanic/Latino families and children. Previous research in African American families demonstrates the importance of parent–child communication in interrupting the pathway between childhood discrimination and poor health outcomes, but parent–child communication regarding discrimination has not been well-studied in Hispanic/Latino families. This study uses the minority child development model to explore how Hispanic/Latino parents discuss anti-Latino and anti-immigrant discrimination, bias, and unfair treatment with their children. In-depth interviews were performed with Hispanic/Latino immigrant parents (N = 14) of 25 children ages 5–17 years. Interviews were analyzed using phenomenological thematic analysis. Seven major strategies utilized by Hispanic/Latino parents emerged: (1) champion success; (2) comfort and encourage; (3) advocate, appeal, and defend; (4) understand, ignore, and accept; (5) learn from it; (6) teach tolerance; and (7) prepare for bias. The development of resources to enhance parent skills in this area is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the negotiations taking place in LGBTQ families before a child is born or added to the family. It asks who takes part in the negotiations and what issues are negotiated about. An online questionnaire answered by LGBTQ parents (n = 74) was analyzed with qualitative content analysis. The chain of phases leading to having a child can be referred to as a family forming process with various negotiation topics. The four phases are identified as parental desires, consideration of practices, reflecting on the decision, and concrete actions toward having a child. Besides the LGBTQ parents-to-be, significant others such as friends and the family of origin and external others such as donors and fertility clinics took part in the negotiations. Future parents needed to think about their desires in advance to enable fair and equal negotiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the conceptual argument that constructive and explicit couple communication may reduce gender inequalities in couples' division of family work. We focus on the transition to parenthood which for most couples in Germany results in a shift towards a more traditional division of labour. Using 314 first-time parents from the German Family Panel, we apply growth curve models to assess whether partners' prenatal characteristics explain the division of housework and childcare around the time of childbirth and in the following years. After controlling for gender ideologies and economic resources, male partners' frequency of positive communication is associated with greater father involvement in housework and childcare from the start. However, neither men's nor women's communication behaviours dampen the shift towards a more traditional division of housework and childcare in the first years after childbirth. The frequency of negative communication does not correlate with the division of family work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the emotion work of non-migrant women as they seek to sustain family life across borders. We draw on in-depth interviews with 59 non-migrant women in Guanajuato, Mexico who had immigrant spouses in the USA to assess emotion work dynamics between partners. Our analysis reveals that non-migrant women do emotion work that entails imagining lives abroad and then tailoring emotional support that addresses the needs of spouses. We also discuss how the difficulties associated with prolonged separation leads women to suppress their own needs and feelings, which can lead to emotional burnout and marital conflict. Putting non-migrant women and their activities at the center of our analysis highlights the emotional costs of migration for those who remain behind and the ways in which emotion work is a highly gendered activity that reinforces inequality through communication. We highlight how women's subordinated status in transnational Mexican families and the need to keep the remittances flowing help explain why emotion work falls largely on women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined parents' perceptions of their children's behavioral difficulties (CBD) and positive parent–child interaction (PCI) during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Israel, as well as the associations among parents' psychological distress, parents' COVID-19–related worries, parents' coping, and parents' resilience. Participants were 437 parents of minor children. Parents reported more behavioral and emotional difficulties alongside with more quality time with their children. Parents' distress and COVID-19–related worries were positively related to CBD. Emotion-focused coping mediated the association between psychological distress and CBD, while resilience mediated the association between distress and PCI. The study results indicated that parents perceived their children as having greater difficulties, but they also perceived more positive parent–child interactions, during the lockdown. Parents' distress appears to have been a significant variable in perceived child's difficulties during the lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) research focused on the future effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) among adult men, as well as victimization patterns. Continuing evidence is needed informing how ACEs, communication, and IPV may emerge within the intimate partnerships of 18–24 year olds. The present study addresses a literature gap by investigating ACEs in relation to relationship communication quality and IPV, considering not only victimization but also perpetration. An online survey was distributed through social media outlets targeting college-aged adults (n = 228). Men were more likely to perpetrate and be victimized by IPV than women in the sample. However, both sexes had moderate associations between ACES and victimization as well as perpetration of physical, emotional, sexual, and cyber abuse. Poor communication quality was associated with ACEs and most forms of abuse experienced in the last year. Continued investigation of this topic is warranted to understand mechanisms for effective treatment and skill development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of dyadic coping suggest that facing a stressful situation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, with one's partner to meet their needs is associated with positive outcomes. This study explored dyadic coping and its association with relationship satisfaction and distress in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected online from 564 participants. Participants completed measures of dyadic coping, relationship satisfaction, COVID anxiety, and OCD, and asked to describe their experience in an open-ended question. Results showed that experiences were quite polarized. Significant gender differences and differences for couples with/without children were noted for distress and relationship satisfaction. There was a significant interaction between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction for women when predicting COVID OCD; however, post-hoc analysis showed that this interaction was only significant for women with children. The potential exponential burden that female couple members may face during COVID-19 as well as implications for intervention, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using qualitative methods, this study explored workplace disclosure decisions made by employees caring for children and younger adults with disabilities or special healthcare needs and compared these experiences with those of employees caring for older adults when seeking family support at work. Nineteen semi-structured interviews included participants caring for children and younger adults with disabilities and older adults who were predominantly female, white, college-educated, and middle-aged. Employees in the sample had developed communication competence from prior experiences that impacted their ability to negotiate workplace supports to achieve positive outcomes. Differences found between the groups relate to the experiences of stigmatization and the use of formal flexibility supports. Findings highlight the need for employers to understand employees' experiences of work-life fit when they care for children and younger adults with disabilities as well as those caring for older adults. Implications for work–family theory, workplace inclusion policies, and practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romantic coupling in the United States is changing (e.g., communication patterns). Research investigating couple conflict topics has not updated with current trends. A large, representative sample (n = 1,013) selected frequent couples conflict topics and reported relationship satisfaction and conflict behaviors. Results suggested communications was the most frequently reported conflict topic for all couples and parenting was the most frequently reported conflict topic for parents. Other commonly reported topics included personal/partner habits, household chores, finances, decision-making, quality time, sex, screen time, role expectations, and time management. Finances, parenting, and sex were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, whereas household chores and time management were positively associated with relationship satisfaction. Communication, finances, parenting, and sex were associated with an increase in dysfunctional conflict behaviors, whereas time management was associated with a decrease in dysfunctional conflict behaviors. Understanding how conflict sources affect relationships may help couples navigate conflict to preserve the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the experiences of South African families across the racial divide regarding the burden of care of elderly parents of their emigrating children. The emergence of information and communication technologies has transformed these families' abilities to stay connected despite distance and enables family members to maintain relationships of care in spite of physical separation. Total 23 families participated in the interviews of this qualitative study. We followed a family systems theoretical approached and analyzed the data according to the thematic analysis method developed by Braun and Clarke. The results reveal ambiguous relationships with technology, either positive or alienating and lacking intimacy. This article hopes to add to the emergent body of knowledge exploring the experiences of transnational families, as well as to underscore the manifold nature of human relationships in our increasing technological world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary service members and their partners have adapted their coparenting to respond to the specific transitions and disruptions associated with wartime deployment cycles and evolving child development. This qualitative study draws upon interviews with service member and home front parents of very young children to characterize their coparenting experiences throughout the deployment cycle. Parents described varied approaches as they considered their children's developmental capacities, the fluidity of demands throughout deployment, and the service member's well-being during reintegration. A common theme was the key role of home front parents in facilitating the service member–child relationship through communication and maintaining the presence of the deployed parent in the child's everyday life. Reintegration challenges included redistribution of coparenting roles, the pacing of the service member into family roles, and concerns related to the returning parent's distress. Study findings highlight areas of coparenting throughout the deployment cycle that can be supported though prevention and intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber dating abuse can lead to negative outcomes for the message receiver and for the relationship. Extending previous research examining problematic technology-based behavior and attachment security, this study examined whether insecure attachment moderates the relationship between cyber dating abuse and relationship quality in emerging adults (N = 177). Through survey methodology, findings detail an interaction between cyber dating abuse and attachment avoidance pertaining to positive, but not negative, relationship quality. Victims of cyber dating abuse who were high in attachment avoidance reported significantly lower positive relationship quality compared to those who are not victims of cyber dating abuse. The present study contributes to a limited body of cyber abuse research within intimate relationships providing a nuanced understanding of the differentiation between positive and negative elements of relationship quality. Implications suggest clinicians should incorporate psychoeducation about the impact of cyber dating abuse to help couples interrupt and improve negative communication through technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent parents often maintain a coparenting relationship that is characterized by frequent conflict and unhealthy communication. However, in relationships with less conflict and more cooperation, adolescent mothers display well-being and greater self-acceptance, while young fathers are more likely to be involved with their children. Based on human, financial, and social capital theory that reinforces the influence of parents' investments on family processes and well-being, we examined how capital was related to coparenting behaviors, and how coparenting related to parental functioning. We examined data from 125 adolescent mothers who attended a program for pregnant/parenting teens. Using a latent profile analysis, we (1) identified patterns of coparenting; (2) examined social, financial and human capital resources; and (3) evaluated between-group differences in parental functioning. Results indicated four unique patterns of coparenting based on adolescent mothers' reports, which were associated with indicators of social, financial, and human capital and between-group differences in parental functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of how migrants’ language use affects their ethnic identity has received considerable attention in the literature. There is, however, little understanding of how this relationship manifests or is negotiated in interethnic families. This article presents an in-depth exploration of Spanish mothers’ experiences of Spanish- and English-language interactions with their English-born children. Semistructured interviews were conducted with Spanish mothers living in Britain in interethnic partnerships and transcripts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Analysis reveals a process of identity change where participants’ shifting ethnic identifications with host and heritage culture is intimately related to their language use with their children. Pivotal to this process is the participants’ need to maintain their “Spanish mother” identity, a desire that can only be fulfilled by transferring their heritage language to their children and speaking it with them. Findings reveal how this dynamic affects perception of family roles, relationship quality, and psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study produces a grounded theory of the process of communication with former partners for 30 men and women who share physical and legal custody of their children following divorce or separation. The formality of the custody arrangement was the core factor that influenced the ways in which study participants established and maintained boundaries regarding when, how, and what they communicated with their former partners. Other factors that played a role included the relationship with the former partner, the child, and the introduction of new partners. One cannot simply assume that because parents share physical and legal custody, they communicate with their former partners in a particular way; instead, the formality of the custody arrangement and the establishment of communication boundaries needs to be examined in order to understand how coparents communicate with their former partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military deployments are stressful for service members and partners. Communication is an important factor in trying to maintain a relationship during these separations. This article presents a brief overview of communication in long-distance relationships for context, then reviews articles on communication during military deployments. This review reveals that emerging technology has resulted in an increase in the ability to communicate during deployment, although some studies suggest that access to such technology may vary. The few empirical studies that examine new communication technologies have found that different media (e.g., video calling vs. letters) may serve different functions in communication during deployment (e.g., facilitating problem discussion vs. providing tangible reminders of the partner). Military specific concerns, such as restrictions on communication and the potential for communication to distract service members from their mission, also appear to be important factors. The article concludes with clinical and research recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the cumulative impact of parental nonstandard work schedules (NWS) on adolescent alcohol and cigarette use, with a focus on the mediating role of parent–child communication. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and its Child Supplement, our path analyses revealed that (a) parental NWS affected adolescent alcohol and cigarette use via the openness of parent–child communication rather than the frequency of parent–child communication and (b) the pattern and directionality of the mediating effects differed by who worked NWS, when parents worked NWS, and what types of NWS parents worked. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication between parents and teens about sexuality can reduce early sexual behavior. However, little research investigates how parents who were adolescents when they had children (early parents) talk with their teens about sex. In-depth interviews were conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 29 parents of seventh graders. Salient themes of conversations with adolescents were risks of early parenthood, sexually transmitted infections, delaying sex, and using protection. Compared with parents who were older when they had children (later parents), early parents were more likely to report having had negative sexuality communications with their families of origin and to express a wish to communicate differently with their own children. Early parents were more likely than later parents to discuss risks of early parenthood and to rely on extended family involvement in sexuality communication. Findings suggest that early parents may bring unique perspectives that enable them to approach sexuality communication differently than do later parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the social and cultural sources of an important dimension of solidarity in contemporary marriages: marital generosity. Marital generosity is defined here as freely giving to one’s spouse by regularly engaging in small acts of service, forgiving one’s spouse, and displaying high levels of affection and respect. Using recent data from a national sample, the Survey of Marital Generosity (N = 1,368 couples), we explored the associations between gender egalitarianism, familism, religiosity, and generous behavior among spouses aged 18 to 45. Our results suggest that domestic gender egalitarianism—where spouses reported sharing housework and child care—is linked to greater reports of marital generosity. Religiosity is also positively associated with marital generosity. Finally, the most potent predictor of generosity in this study is commitment, where spouses are personally dedicated to their partner and to continuing the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a globalizing urban India, middle-class parents are extremely anxious about their child’s success and future in a competitive world. In this context, the present article attempts to capture middle-class educated Indian fathers’ thoughts, feelings, and contributions in ensuring children’s success, through primary research conducted in the city of Baroda in western India using qualitative and quantitative methods. Descriptive data and fathers’ voices highlight their notions of achievement, the nature and extent of their involvement in different areas of their children’s lives, namely, providing, guiding and mentoring, practical and emotional support, communication, education, and extracurricular activities. Fathers’ vision of a successful child, nature of involvement and their reasoning are in consonance with their desire for involvement in promoting the child’s cognitive and social competence, and passing on sanskar, a unique aspect of Hindu culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines how people caring for a spouse with Alzheimer’s disease reconstruct the meaning of closeness within their marriage. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 men and 15 women. The authors discovered that significant changes in the social identity of the impaired spouse may have important implications for how caregivers view their marriage and their ability to reestablish a sense of marital closeness. The majority of caregivers experienced significant disruptions in their marriage as a result of their respective spouse’s dementia. The authors further discovered that the caregiver wives in the study sample were more likely than caregiver husbands to report that perceived changes in the spouses’ identity altered how they identified themselves within their marriage, leading to longer term disruption of marital closeness. The findings suggest that retaining a sense of marital closeness is often quite difficult for caregiving spouses, pointing to the need for specific types of caregiver education and support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study reports how lesbian families negotiate their family identities via symbols and rituals. Sixteen couple interviews were conducted with lesbian comothers (for a total of 32 participants) who had their children via donor insemination in the contexts of their current same-sex relationships. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. Framed by symbolic interactionism, this study reports how these families negotiated affirmation and disconfirmation of their identities when interacting with families of origin, social networks, sperm donors, and community institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]