Family Secrets: The Roles of Family Communication Patterns and Conflict Styles between Parents and Young Adult Children

Abstract

This study seeks to add to previous research regarding family secrets by exploring intrafamily and individual family secrets from a family communication pattern and parent–young adult child conflict style perspective. Results showed conversation orientation, conformity orientation, or conflict styles did not predict disclosure separately. However, the use of a collaborating conflict style did indirectly mediate the relationship between conversation orientation and disclosure, but only for those individuals whose families have a low level of conformity orientation.

Keywords:

• Conflict Styles
• Disclosure
• Parent–Child Communication
• Secrecy

Notes

¹. Details concerning these analyses can be obtained by contacting the first author.