Young Adults’ Shared Family Identity with Parents as a Function of Family Communication Patterns

Abstract

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.