Parents’ and children’s affectionate communication and risky driving behaviors: a dyadic investigation

ABSTRACT

This dyadic study of middle-aged parents and young adult children tested if perceptions of receiving affectionate communication were associated with tendencies to (a) exceed the speed limit when driving and (b) drive after consuming alcohol. Among other findings, children’s perceptions of receiving verbal affection, nonverbal affection, and social support from their parent were negatively associated with children’s tendency to drive after consuming one or two alcoholic drinks. Applying affection exchange theory to explain engagement in risky behaviors may comprise a nascent area of the theory’s development. Future researchers can consider if the type of relational partner whose perspective is being considered (e.g. a parent versus a child) bears implications for the extent to which affectionate communication is associated with risky behaviors.

KEYWORDS:

• Affection exchange theory
• parents
• children
• speeding
• driving after consuming alcohol

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. One exception to this general rule is that the parent reported on their own age, given that the child might not have known the parent’s exact age.

2. The following item from Floyd and Morman’s (1998) verbal affection measure was not adapted for the child version of the survey: “Say, ‘You’re my best friend’” given the focus on parent-child relationships. Other than this one item, children completed Floyd and Morman’s full Affectionate Communication Index.

3. Missing data were approximately 10% for each demographic variable given the small subset of children who started the survey but did not complete the final section asking about their demographic background and their parent’s demographic background.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Quinten S. Bernhold

Quinten S. Bernhold is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His primary research interests include intergenerational communication, family communication, and health communication.