Ambiguous Divorce-Related Communication, Relational Closeness, Relational Satisfaction, and Communication Satisfaction

Using Communication Privacy Management theory, the study argues parents' ambiguity during divorce-related stressor conversations influence parents' and young adult children's relational closeness, satisfaction, and communication satisfaction. Thirty-nine parent-young adult child dyads discussed a divorce-related stressor and reported their thoughts. Hierarchical regression models indicated children's perceptions of parents' ambiguity predicted lower communication satisfaction; however, parents' use of ambiguity was unrelated to relational closeness, satisfaction, or communication satisfaction. Tolerance for ambiguity did not moderate the relationships. Results suggest that offspring may not want detailed information; perceiving parents to use minimal ambiguity may contribute to lower communication satisfaction after discussing divorce-related stressors.