Exploring the Role of Remote Acculturation on Family Dynamics: Communication Preferences and Conflict in Chinese Adolescents

Remote acculturation (RA), the process by which people adopt foreign cultural values through media exposure, is a key feature of globalization shaping family life. While existing research has established a link between adolescents’ RA and increased family conflict, the specific communicative mechanisms that explain this relationship remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining whether a preference for Western-style affective communication, acquired through RA, mediates the link between RA and family conflict within the Chinese cultural context. This study tested three hypotheses with a sample of 303 Chinese families, and it analyzed the functions of RA, preference of communication style, and family conflict. The findings corroborate the hypothesis that RA significantly affects a proclivity for preference of affective communication style. Moreover, the mediation analysis demonstrates that differences in preference of affective communication style partially explain the correlation between RA and family conflict, but differences in preference of instrumental communication style do not exhibit a significant mediating function. These findings offer critical perspectives on the cultural changes in preference of communication styles brought about by RA and emphasize the significance of emotional expression in affecting family dynamics. This study expands on the RA literature by shedding light on its effect on family dynamics and proposes practical suggestions for enhancing communication in families experiencing cultural globalization. Limitations and future research avenues were addressed.