“Is there something I should know?”: Topic avoidant responses in parent‐adolescent communication

Abstract

This exploratory study examined late‐adolescents’ responses to parents’ direct requests for information about a topic that the adolescent was trying to avoid. Open‐ended questions from 119 participants were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. From this analysis, a total of 12 topic avoidant responses were found: deception, aggression, direct rejection, indirect rejection, assertiveness, disinterest, listening, terminating the conversation, discussing the topic, reassurance, crying, and discomfort. Consistent with Communication Boundary Management theory, this study revealed that when adolescents are faced with a parental privacy invasion, adolescents describe fortifying and renegotiating their boundaries, as well as creating boundary illusions. Implications for research on topic avoidance and Communication Boundary Management theory are discussed.