A Family Matter: An Analysis of Adult Children’s Conflict Communication

This study examines the relationship of parental conflict styles, family type, stress levels, and parent-child closeness on adult children’s conflict communication. Using Rahim’s conflict management framework and family communication patterns (FCP) theory, this research examined how family dynamics shape conflict behaviors of adult children, specifically within two parent and divorced/separated families. The survey gathered approximately 315 family experiences covering six family types. Separated/divorced and two-parent family types had sufficient numbers to further analyze the differences between these two types. The findings indicated a significant positive relationship between parental and adult children’s conflict styles, as well as notable differences in conflict style based on family type, particularly in cooperative styles. Additionally, a strong positive correlation was found between parent-child closeness and cooperative conflict styles of adult children, while stress levels were negatively correlated with collaborative and compromising conflict styles. The practical implications of these findings extend to both academic communication research as well as real-world applications for families. This study emphasizes the potential for positive change when families and professionals are aware of pattern transmission.