Abstract
This study investigated 898 parents’ and adult children’s reasons for estrangement in light of research on interpersonal attributions and the relational consequences of perspective-taking. Three primary categories emerged: estrangement resulted from intrafamily, interfamily, or intrapersonal issues. Within each category, the frequency of parents’ and children’s reasons for estrangement differed significantly from each other. Parents reported that their primary reason for becoming estranged stemmed from their children’s objectionable relationships or sense of entitlement, whereas adult children most frequently attributed their estrangement to their parents’ toxic behavior or feeling unsupported and unaccepted. Parents also reported that they were unsure of the reason for their estrangement significantly more often than did children. Examining estrangement from the perspective of both parents and adult children offers potential avenues for family reconciliation and future communication research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 130-140 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Family Communication |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 3 2015 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Communication
- Social Psychology
Cite this
Giving Voice to the Silence of Family Estrangement : Comparing Reasons of Estranged Parents and Adult Children in a Nonmatched Sample. / Carr, Kristen; Holman, Amanda; Abetz, Jenna; Kellas, Jody Koenig; Vagnoni, Elizabeth.
In: Journal of Family Communication, Vol. 15, No. 2, 03.04.2015, p. 130-140.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Giving Voice to the Silence of Family Estrangement
T2 - Comparing Reasons of Estranged Parents and Adult Children in a Nonmatched Sample
AU - Carr, Kristen
AU - Holman, Amanda
AU - Abetz, Jenna
AU - Kellas, Jody Koenig
AU - Vagnoni, Elizabeth
PY - 2015/4/3
Y1 - 2015/4/3
N2 - This study investigated 898 parents’ and adult children’s reasons for estrangement in light of research on interpersonal attributions and the relational consequences of perspective-taking. Three primary categories emerged: estrangement resulted from intrafamily, interfamily, or intrapersonal issues. Within each category, the frequency of parents’ and children’s reasons for estrangement differed significantly from each other. Parents reported that their primary reason for becoming estranged stemmed from their children’s objectionable relationships or sense of entitlement, whereas adult children most frequently attributed their estrangement to their parents’ toxic behavior or feeling unsupported and unaccepted. Parents also reported that they were unsure of the reason for their estrangement significantly more often than did children. Examining estrangement from the perspective of both parents and adult children offers potential avenues for family reconciliation and future communication research.
AB - This study investigated 898 parents’ and adult children’s reasons for estrangement in light of research on interpersonal attributions and the relational consequences of perspective-taking. Three primary categories emerged: estrangement resulted from intrafamily, interfamily, or intrapersonal issues. Within each category, the frequency of parents’ and children’s reasons for estrangement differed significantly from each other. Parents reported that their primary reason for becoming estranged stemmed from their children’s objectionable relationships or sense of entitlement, whereas adult children most frequently attributed their estrangement to their parents’ toxic behavior or feeling unsupported and unaccepted. Parents also reported that they were unsure of the reason for their estrangement significantly more often than did children. Examining estrangement from the perspective of both parents and adult children offers potential avenues for family reconciliation and future communication research.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84926304885&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15267431.2015.1013106
DO - 10.1080/15267431.2015.1013106
M3 - Article
VL - 15
SP - 130
EP - 140
JO - Journal of Family Communication
JF - Journal of Family Communication
SN - 1526-7431
IS - 2
ER -