Communication Studies, Department of

 

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2007

Citation

Published in Journal of Family Communication 7:3 (2007), pp. 177–194; doi: 10.1080/15267430701221636

Comments

Copyright © 2007 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.; published by Routledge/Taylor and Francis. Used by permission.

Abstract

From an intergroup perspective on family relationships, the current study investigates family-of-origin grandparents and stepgrandparents to determine similarities and differences in communication and relational dimensions. Participants (N = 88) completed questionnaires on family-of-origin grandparents and stepgrandparent relationships. From the perspective of young adult grandchildren, the research explores the role of supportive communication, reciprocal self-disclosure, nonaccommodative communication, and parental encouragement in predicting a sense of shared family identity with each grandparent type. Results are discussed in terms of implications for intergroup research, grandparent-grandchild communication, and stepfamily relationships.

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