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This study examined young adults' shared family identity (SFI) with parents as correlates of family communication patterns (i.e., conversation and conformity orientations). Participants included 235 young adults from a private university in the southwest. Results indicated that conversation orientation is positively associated with SFI with both mother and father. One dimension of conformity orientation, respect for parental authority, was inversely associated with SFI with mother and father, whereas two other dimensions, parental control and pressure to adopt parental values, were inversely associated only with SFI with mother. Regression analyses revealed that conversation orientation was a significant predictor of SFI with both parents, although conformity orientation moderated this association for SFI with mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the degree to which emotion regulation difficulties moderate the negative association between interparental conflict (i.e., parents’ demand/withdraw patterns and symbolic aggression) and young adults’ mental well-being. Participants included 171 young adults (18–28 years old) from intact families who completed an online survey. Using confirmatory factor analysis and SEM, results indicated when young adults have great difficulty in regulating emotions, perceptions of interparental conflict do not significantly predict mental health symptoms. However, fewer difficulties in regulating emotions actually magnify the negative effects of witnessing interparental conflict on young adults’ mental well-being. Hence, while successful emotion management is important for everyday functioning, heightened regulation abilities may simultaneously contribute to young adults’ awareness of the harmful impact of family discord. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study tested the associations among family communication patterns (i.e., conversation and conformity orientations) and young adults’ perceptions of coparental communication. Participants included 493 young adult children from intact and divorced families. Whereas conversation orientation was positively associated with perceptions of coparental communication quality, conformity orientation was negatively associated with perceptions of coparental communication quality. After controlling for divorce status and number of siblings, conversation orientation was predictive of both supportive and antagonistic coparental communication, although the effect of conversation orientation on antagonistic coparental communication was moderated by conformity orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the degree to which remarried couples’ coparental communication with nonresidential parents predicted young adult children’s feelings of being caught between their parents (i.e., the ex-spouses). Participants included 120 stepfamily triads from the United States. Results indicate that residential parents’ and stepparents’ antagonistic coparental communication with the nonresidential parent are positively associated with young adults’ feelings of being caught, whereas parents’ supportive coparental communication is inversely associated with feeling caught. When combined, coparents’ reports of antagonistic coparental communication account for 22.5% of the shared variance in young adults’ feelings of being caught. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]