Family Serial Arguments: Beliefs about the Argument and Perceived Stress from the Argument

Abstract

One hundred seventeen college students recalled a serial argument with a family member. The type of serial argument (whether a public- or personal-issue argument, Johnson, 2002) and level of argumentativeness predicted beliefs about family serial arguments. Whether the serial argument was believed to be ego-involving, enjoyable, or related to dysfunctional outcomes predicted the level of personal harm (stress and stress-related symptoms) related to the argument.

Keywords:

• Family
• Serial Argument
• Stress

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this article was presented to the Interpersonal Communication Division of the National Communication Association at their annual conference in Orlando, Florida, November, 2012.

Notes

Details about the sample size and those who were not included in the analysis can be found at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44122922/Com_Reports_Supplemental_File.htm.

Details about the topics listed as personal- and public-issue arguments can be found at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44122922/Com_Reports_Supplemental_File.htm.

Details about the confirmatory factor analysis can be found at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44122922/Com_Reports_Supplemental_File.htm.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amy Janan Johnson

Amy Janan Johnson (PhD, 1999, Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma.

Katherine M. Kelley

Katherine M. Kelley (PhD, 2011, University of Oklahoma) is an Assistant Professor at Fort Hays State University.

Shr-Jie Liu

Shr-Jie Liu (MA, 2005, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Shawn D. King (MA, 2008, Missouri State University) are doctoral candidates in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma, where Eryn N. Bostwick (BA, 2010, The Ohio State University) is an MA student.

Joshua M. Averbeck

Joshua M. Averbeck (PhD, University of Oklahoma, 2011) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Western Illinois University.