Communication styles used during divorce-related conversations may negatively influence the quality of parent-child relationships. Researchers have not examined how communication styles used in divorce-related communications affect parent-offspring relationships in same-sex parented families. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine offspring perceptions of how divorce-related communication styles affected relationships between the children and their same-sex parents. The research question for this study addressed how the perceived communication styles of same-sex parents in divorce-related conversations influence the parent-offspring relationship. Principles from communication privacy management theory provided the conceptual framework. Two 21-year-old females whose same-sex parents dissolved their relationships participated in the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a demographic questionnaire. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that same-sex parent-child relationships were negatively impacted when same-sex parents were ambiguous in their communication or triangulated their children by forcing them to send negative messages between their parents. Findings also indicated that same-sex parent-offspring relationships were positively impacted when same-sex parents effectively communicated with their offspring during divorce-related conversations. Findings may provide information to professionals and same-sex parents regarding the importance of communicating effectively with their offspring during divorce-related conversations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:waldenu.edu/oai:scholarworks.waldenu.edu:dissertations-7764 |
| Date | 01 January 2019 |
| Creators | Siao, Madonna |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | Walden University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies |
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