Kristina M Scharp
Biographic Data
| ID | 649533 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kristina M Scharp |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kristina M |
| FAMILY NAME | Scharp |
| SIGNATURE | SCHARP K M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Washington |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9280-6313 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 48 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 237 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 48 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Investigating the theoretical intersections between identity and uncertainty (management) among women with postpartum depression
This study illuminates qualitative relationships between identity and uncertainty (management) to theorize about their mutual influence on the self using the context of mothers with postpartum depression (PPD), which is a major disruption to women's identities. Interviews with mothers (N = 27) revealed (a) eight identity gaps across four identity frames, (b) five sources of uncertainty, (c) three identity bridging strategies, (d) four uncertainty…
Memorable messages, perceived message deficiencies, and advice from estranged queer adolescents
This study explores the intersection of education and family socialization through memorable messages reported by adolescents who are estranged from their parents because of their queer identity (estranged queer adolescents [EQAs)]). Using the theory of memorable messages, 40 EQAs aged 13–19 described memorable messages they received during their estrangement process, the deficiencies in those messages, and messages they had for others. We identi…
A Meaningful Theory: 25 Years of Relational Dialectics Theory in the Journal of Family Communication
In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Journal of Family Communication (JFC), the present essay celebrates two and a half decades of relational dialectics theory (RDT) in JFC, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between theory and journal. The authors, both of whom have a breadth of experience in conducting RDT research, first provide a history of RDT and an overview of key terms and assumptions. The essay then traces the history of…
A special issue on qualitative theorizing and methodological advancements
If the discipline’s goal is to advance practice, policy, and theory, it is imperative that communication scholars are engaging in rigorous research and that our flagship field-general journals (Communication Monographs [CM], Communication Research [CR], Human Communication Research [HCR], and Journal of Communication [JOC], which we refer to as the “Big Four” hereafter) are publishing the most meaningful inter- and sub-disciplinary work. When a m…
Withholding Social Support Because Those in Need Do Not Deserve It: A Thematic Narrative Analysis
Close relationships have norms and expectations regarding the communication of support; however, recent research has illuminated the varied reasons why would-be supporters at times choose to forgo supporting those who are facing difficulties. One such reason is the perception that the other person is undeserving of support. The researchers conducted 28 semi-structured interviews with those who withheld support because they did not believe the oth…
Theory of communicative (dis)enfranchisement: Introduction, explication, and application
In this essay, we set forth the theory of communicative (dis)enfranchisement (TCD). The TCD is useful for exploring the ramifications of the hegemonic ideologies which constrain and afford our everyday lives, and which are constructed and reflected in disenfranchising talk (DT). The TCD also asks what communication mechanisms work to reify and resist these hegemonic ideologies. We first introduce the warrant for this theorizing, then overview the…
(Mal)adaptive sibling self and other communicative resilience in the context of parental substance use
Managing parental substance use disorder (SUD) within the family context is a collaborative effort. For families with multiple children, the sibling relationship might be one source of support for dealing with this stressor. Findings from a sample of adult siblings with parents with SUD highlighted that they (a) experience five resilience triggers, (b) utilize self and other communicative resilience (CR) processes, and (c) experience a tensional …
Overcoming Obstacles by Enacting Resilience: How Queer Adolescents Respond to Being Estranged From Their Parents
Queer adolescents experience compounding complications especially when they are estranged from their parents. Findings from a sample of 40 estranged queer adolescents revealed four triggers, five resilience processes, and three co-occurring relationships between the triggers and processes. Based on these findings, we advance the communication theory of resilience by (a) illustrating resilience enactments with an adolescent population, (b) introdu…
Building resilience in response to identity-based discrimination through in person and online communication
This study investigates resilience processes in the context of identity-based discrimination through the lens of the communication theory of resilience (CTR). Participants enacted all CTR processes delineated in the theory utilizing both in-person and online communication when facing six identity-related triggers. Participants described how social media, virtual tools, and online communities empowered them to adapt each communicative resilience (…
A (In)curable Disease? Making Meaning of Addiction from the Perspective of People in Recovery from Opioid Use Disorder
People in recovery for opioid use must navigate their chronic illness and the corresponding stigma. Despite the prevalence of opioid use in the United States, contradictory determinations about the curability and responsibility of addiction remain. These contractions provide a complicated site from which to examine power in a health context where misinformation can be costly. In this study, we applied contrapuntal analysis, the corresponding meth…
Life interrupted instead of disrupted: Triggers and resilient communication processes revealed in POZ.com online narratives by men with HIV who have sex with men
The present study uses Buzzanell’s (2018 Buzzanell, P. M. (2018). Communication theory of resilience: Enacting adaptive-transformative processes when families experience loss and disruption. In D. O. Braithwaite, E. A. Suter, & K. Floyd (Eds.), Engaging theories in family communication (2nd ed., pp. 98–109). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315204321-9 [Google Scholar]) communication theory of resilience (CTR) to explore the triggers that H…
I am a binary trans man and I love being pregnant: Making meaning of pregnancy in seahorse dad narratives
Although there are many ways one might start a family, the culture in the United States considers pregnancy one of a woman's most important life achievements, privileging biological ties above all else. These cultural assumptions stigmatize seahorse dads, or transmen and nonbinary individuals who become pregnant. Using relational dialectics theory (RDT), this study examined posts on Reddit to highlight how marginalized discourses resist dominant …
I hate all the children, especially mine: Applying relational dialectics theory to examine the experiences of formerly childfree regretful parents
Guided by relational dialectics theory (RDT), we analyzed 85 first-person testimonials of parental regret written by users of the /r/childfree subreddit. We interrogated how competing discourses animate what it means to be a parent (our semantic object). Contrapuntal analysis revealed dominant and marginalized Discourses of Parenting as Heaven (DPHN) and Parenting as Hell on Earth (DPHL), respectively, as well as a third Discourse of Parenting as…
Conceptualizing other-resilience: Exploring How Hearing Parents Enact Resilience for Themselves and Their Children Who Use Cochlear Implants
After an infant hearing loss (HL) diagnosis, parents face a multitude of stressors as they try to make the best decisions for their children. For many parents with typical hearing, opting for cochlear implantation is part of the decision-making process. Findings from a sample of hearing parents who chose cochlear implantation for their children with HL reveal that they experience (a) five resilience triggers, (b) five resilience processes, and (c…
Identity (Re)constructions in Mothers’ Online Stories about Terminating Wanted Pregnancies Due to Health Complications
Women who have an abortion experience a major disruption to their identities in addition to being at a higher risk for deleterious health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior. These identity and health implications become even more complicated when a woman terminates a wanted pregnancy due to health complications. In the present study, we took an interpretive narrative approach to explore the identity (re)constructions of 3…
Making Meaning of Women Who Have Late-Term Abortions from the Perspective of Mothers Who Terminated Wanted Pregnancies
Women who have late-term abortions not only have to cope with losing a child but also the stigma associated with termination. Understanding the ways stigmatizing ideologies are resisted by alternatives has the potential to disrupt meanings that disenfranchise populations. Interested in ideological resistance, we framed this study in relational dialectics theory, which highlights how marginalized discourses resist dominant ones to make meaning of …
Resisting and reifying meaning in everyday life: Using relational dialectics theory to understand the meaning of heterosexual dating
Heterosexual women have intersecting identities that are privileged (i.e., sexuality) and marginalized (i.e., gender), suggesting a complicated site to examine power in the process of dating where meaning has become taken-for-granted over time. In this study, we utilized relational dialectics theory's (RDT's) corresponding method, contrapuntal analysis, to examine a group that holds fluctuating societal power in the context of heterosexuality and…
The meaning of misinformation and those who correct it: An extension of relational dialectics theory
What misinformation means and what it means to be someone who corrects it is socially contested, especially in interpersonal contexts where politeness expectations complicate correction. Given this flux in meaning, we analyze posts about misinformation correction in interpersonal contexts from the AmItheAsshole subreddit through a relational dialectics theory (RDT) lens. Findings revealed that discourses of misinformation as harmful and as innocu…
Thematic Co-occurrence Analysis: Advancing a Theory and Qualitative Method to Illuminate Ambivalent Experiences
Ambivalence is a phenomenon that transcends disciplinary divides and is associated with a myriad of mixed outcomes. Yet, identifying and representing the complexities of ambivalent experiences can be difficult using traditional qualitative methods. Thus, the goal of the present study was to advance a qualitative method, thematic co-occurrence analysis, to address this issue. To illustrate the usefulness of this method, I present a case study deta…
“I Have to Social Norm This”: Making Meaning of Hearing Loss from the Perspective of Adults Who Use Hearing Aids
Framed by relational dialectics theory, the present study takes a critical approach to interrogating the social structures that promote and resist hearing loss and hearing aid-related stigma. Specifically, this study explores the ways the meaning of hearing loss is constructed in 30 narrative interviews with adults who use hearing aids. Contrapuntal analysis revealed that two discourses compete to illuminate meanings of hearing loss. Four interre…
“There’s Always Going to Be Uncertainty”: Exploring Undergraduate Student Parents’ Sources of Uncertainty and Related Management Practices
Framed by uncertainty management theory, the present study explores the uncertainty issues and management practices of undergraduate student parents. Results from 40 narrative interviews reveal seven sources of uncertainty, eight management practices, and two uncertainty trade-offs. Findings reveal that having two interrelated identities (student and parent) not only exacerbate some uncertainties but create completely new ones. This intersectiona…
Communicative Resilience of First-Generation College Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic
As U.S. higher education institutions closed their campuses and transitioned to online education due to the high risk for COVID-19 transmission, first-generation college students (FGS) were particularly susceptible to multiple stressors. Findings from a sample of 44 participants reveal seven resilience triggers, four resilience processes, and three relationships between resilience processes and triggers. Based on these findings, we advance the co…
Making meaning of parenting from the perspective of alienated parents
More than 13% of parents identify as being alienated by at least one of their children. Parental alienation often occurs after divorce when one parent (un)intentionally persuades his or her children to distance themselves from or reject the other parent. This study, couched in relational dialectics theory, explores the meaning of parenting from the perspective of 40 alienated parents. This analysis yielded two competing discourses: the culturally…
Relational Dialectics Theory
This article first provides an overview and brief history of relational dialectics theory (RDT) before turning to a presentation of RDT's basic tenets and theoretical utility. In addition, it also examines how RDT has been applied in studying family contexts and offers suggestions for future directions of RDT‐based research
Communicative predictors of social network resilience skills during the transition to college
Persisting in college requires resilience for emerging adults, who must adapt to a new culture with different norms. Many also struggle with financial pressure, mental health issues, and interpersonal stressors. This longitudinal study proposes and tests a model of the communication factors that predict social network resilience skills during the transition to college. A sample of 436 first-year college students in the Mountain West region of the…
Family “Bonds”: Making Meaning of Parent–Child Relationships in Estrangement Narratives
Framed by relational dialectics theory, the present study takes a critical approach to the discursive navigation of the parent–child relationship. Specifically, this study explores the ways in which the parent–child relationship is constructed in 52 narrative interviews with adult children who are estranged from their parent(s). Contrapuntal analysis revealed that two discourses compete to illuminate meanings of the parent–child relationship. Thr…
Examining Family Communication Patterns and Seeking Social Support Direct and Indirect Effects Through Ability and Motivation: Family Communication Patterns and Support Seeking
Seeking social support remains a relatively understudied aspect of supportive communication. By integrating the literatures on family communication patterns (FCPs) and supportive communication, this study examines dispositional factors that influence support seeking in particular situations. Specifically, communicative ability and motivation to seek support were theorized to mediate the relationship between FCPs and recalled strategies of support…
Uncertainty issues and management in adult children's stories of their estrangement with their parents
Framed in the uncertainty literature, the present study explores the uncertainty issues and management practices of adult children who are in the estrangement process with their parents. Results from 52 narrative interviews reveal six types of uncertainty and six management processes. Taken together, results suggest that the estrangement process is marked by chronic uncertainty that can serve multiple functions. Theoretical implications and pract…
It Was the Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back”: Exploring the Distancing Processes Communicatively Constructed in Parent-Child Estrangement Backstories
Despite its severity and prevalence, hardly any research addresses parent-child estrangement. Thus, in the present study we focus on the backstories of 52 adult children in the United States who engaged in communicative practices to distance themselves from their parent(s). Six themes coalesced into two backstory types: (1) continuous estrangement and (2) chaotic (dis)association. Regardless of backstory type, narrative beginnings consisted of ac…
What Would a Loving Mom Do Today?”: Exploring the Meaning of Motherhood in Stories of Prenatal and Postpartum Depression
Prenatal depression (PD) and postpartum depression (PPD), experienced by up to one-quarter of pregnant women and new mothers, are associated with maternal impairment and disruptions to children’s behavior, development, and health. Women experiencing PD/PPD must cope with negative feelings and detrimental outcomes that stand in contrast with cultural conceptions of how (ideal) mothers feel and act (i.e., the discourse of intensive mothering), thus…
Narrating Adoption: Resisting Adoption as “Second Best” in Online Stories of Domestic Adoption Told by Adoptive Parents
Framed in narrative theory and relational dialectics theory, one hundred online stories of domestic adoption told by adoptive parents were qualitatively analyzed, revealing four primary discourses of adoption that challenge the idea that adoption is a second-best way to parent. Narrative beginnings were dominated by a discourse of adoption as a valuable alternative to pregnancy. Narrative middles-and-ends featured two discourses of how the adopti…
Family marginalization, alienation, and estrangement: Questioning the nonvoluntary status of family relationships
Despite assumptions that families are close and intact, the prevalence of family member marginalization, parent–child alienation, and parent–child estrangement is overwhelming. Largely ignored by the research community, these three family distancing processes pose significant disruptions to the entire family system. Although some of associated behaviors lead to turmoil and decreased well-being, distancing can also be a healthy solution to an unhe…
Relational Dialectics Theory
This article first provides an overview and brief history of relational dialectics theory (RDT) before turning to a presentation of RDT's basic tenets and theoretical utility. In addition, it also examines how RDT has been applied in studying family contexts and offers suggestions for future directions of RDT‐based research
Understanding the triggers and communicative processes that constitute resilience in the context of migration to the United States
There are approximately 244 million migrants worldwide and 40 million migrants living in the US. These migrants face a myriad of stressors that they need to overcome. Framed by the communication theory of resilience, this study explores the resilience triggers and processes migrants discuss during their migration experience. Findings from 43 narrative interviews reveal three resilience triggers, four resilience processes, and two relationships be…
Resisting and reifying meaning in everyday life: Using relational dialectics theory to understand the meaning of heterosexual dating
Heterosexual women have intersecting identities that are privileged (i.e., sexuality) and marginalized (i.e., gender), suggesting a complicated site to examine power in the process of dating where meaning has become taken-for-granted over time. In this study, we utilized relational dialectics theory's (RDT's) corresponding method, contrapuntal analysis, to examine a group that holds fluctuating societal power in the context of heterosexuality and…
A child for every family? Characterizations of "adoptable" foster children in online permanency advocacy publications
Despite the prevalence of children in need of adoption from the U.S. foster care system, only one of every 28 individuals who contact an adoption agency adopt from foster care. In response, adoption professionals create photolistings to maximize the pool of available prospective adoptive families and enhance the visibility of fostered youth. Yet, creating photolistings is challenging because professionals must navigate helping to place children w…
A Family for Every Child”: Discursive Constructions of “Ideal” Adoptive Families in Online Foster Adoption Photolistings That Promote Adoption of Children From Foster Care
Despite documented cultural and institutional preferences for biological family ties, approximately 100,000 children await adoption in the U.S. foster care system. Child welfare professionals have the important task of finding these children permanent families, yet little is known about this process or how “ideal” adoptive families are constructed. Thus, this study critically examines photolistings (N = 104) from www.afamilyforeverychild.org. Fin…
Making Meaning of the Parent–Child Relationship: A Dialogic Analysis of Parent-Initiated Estrangement Narratives
This study employs relational dialectics theory to explore the meaning of the parent–child relationship from the perspective of parents who distanced themselves from their children. Contrapuntal analysis of 36 online narratives revealed 2 discourses competing to make meaning of the parent–child relationship. The discourse of inseparable connection (DIC) drew upon themes of unconditional love, biology, and permanent role identification, constructi…
Communicative predictors of social network resilience skills during the transition to college
Persisting in college requires resilience for emerging adults, who must adapt to a new culture with different norms. Many also struggle with financial pressure, mental health issues, and interpersonal stressors. This longitudinal study proposes and tests a model of the communication factors that predict social network resilience skills during the transition to college. A sample of 436 first-year college students in the Mountain West region of the…
The Mediating Role of Helicopter Parenting in the Relationship between Family Communication Patterns and Resilience in First-semester College Students
Resilience is important for students transitioning to college given vast attrition rates due to the stress of change and new challenges. This study applied family communication patterns theory (FCP) to explore the relationships among family environment, helicopter parenting, and student resilience. Two mediation models were tested with survey data from 2,253 people in their first semester of college in the United States. Both conversation and con…
I am a binary trans man and I love being pregnant: Making meaning of pregnancy in seahorse dad narratives
Although there are many ways one might start a family, the culture in the United States considers pregnancy one of a woman's most important life achievements, privileging biological ties above all else. These cultural assumptions stigmatize seahorse dads, or transmen and nonbinary individuals who become pregnant. Using relational dialectics theory (RDT), this study examined posts on Reddit to highlight how marginalized discourses resist dominant …
I hate all the children, especially mine: Applying relational dialectics theory to examine the experiences of formerly childfree regretful parents
Guided by relational dialectics theory (RDT), we analyzed 85 first-person testimonials of parental regret written by users of the /r/childfree subreddit. We interrogated how competing discourses animate what it means to be a parent (our semantic object). Contrapuntal analysis revealed dominant and marginalized Discourses of Parenting as Heaven (DPHN) and Parenting as Hell on Earth (DPHL), respectively, as well as a third Discourse of Parenting as…
Conceptualizing other-resilience: Exploring How Hearing Parents Enact Resilience for Themselves and Their Children Who Use Cochlear Implants
After an infant hearing loss (HL) diagnosis, parents face a multitude of stressors as they try to make the best decisions for their children. For many parents with typical hearing, opting for cochlear implantation is part of the decision-making process. Findings from a sample of hearing parents who chose cochlear implantation for their children with HL reveal that they experience (a) five resilience triggers, (b) five resilience processes, and (c…
Taking sides and feeling caught: Communicative complications for immediate family members of estranged parent-child dyads
Framed by family systems theory and social constructionism, the present study is the first to illuminate the experiences of immediate family members of estranged parent-child dyads. A thematic analysis of 27 immediate family members (13 siblings, 6 children, 4 spouses, and 4 parents of estranged parent-child dyads) revealed (a) 4 ways they discussed taking sides, (b) 3 messages that contributed to them feeling caught, and (c) 6 practices they eng…
Making Meaning of Women Who Have Late-Term Abortions from the Perspective of Mothers Who Terminated Wanted Pregnancies
Women who have late-term abortions not only have to cope with losing a child but also the stigma associated with termination. Understanding the ways stigmatizing ideologies are resisted by alternatives has the potential to disrupt meanings that disenfranchise populations. Interested in ideological resistance, we framed this study in relational dialectics theory, which highlights how marginalized discourses resist dominant ones to make meaning of …
The meaning of misinformation and those who correct it: An extension of relational dialectics theory
What misinformation means and what it means to be someone who corrects it is socially contested, especially in interpersonal contexts where politeness expectations complicate correction. Given this flux in meaning, we analyze posts about misinformation correction in interpersonal contexts from the AmItheAsshole subreddit through a relational dialectics theory (RDT) lens. Findings revealed that discourses of misinformation as harmful and as innocu…
Assessing Organizational Cultural Responsiveness among Refugee-Servicing Domestic Violence Agencies
Refugee community members who have experienced domestic violence in the U.S. face complex challenges in seeking help which may ultimately impact their ability to leave violent relationships. When domestic violence organizations are not prepared to serve them in culturally responsive ways, these challenges are exacerbated. This study surveyed 70 executive directors of domestic violence agencies in U.S. resettlement cities about the extent to which…
Building resilience in response to identity-based discrimination through in person and online communication
This study investigates resilience processes in the context of identity-based discrimination through the lens of the communication theory of resilience (CTR). Participants enacted all CTR processes delineated in the theory utilizing both in-person and online communication when facing six identity-related triggers. Participants described how social media, virtual tools, and online communities empowered them to adapt each communicative resilience (…
Voicing the system: How formerly fostered adults make meaning of the U.S. foster care system
The U.S. foster care system aims to provide care to children who are unable to live safely with their families of origin. Yet, fostered youth endure negative experiences before, during, and after foster care. This study investigates tensions between stated goals and experiences of foster care, from the perspective of (formerly) fostered youth. Framed by relational dialectics theory, contrapuntal analysis of 32 narrative interviews revealed two di…
Losing my religion”: Identity (re)constructions in Mormon exit narratives
The present study explores how former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are often referred to as Mormons, construct their identities. Framed in an interpretive narrative approach, 150 online exit stories of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that voluntarily left the Church were qualitatively analyzed. Findings reveal five prominent identities: (1) the disenfranchised victim, (2) the redeemed …
Narrative Coherence in Online Stories Told by Members of the Adoption Triad
Two hundred ninety-eight online narratives told by adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth mothers were rated for their narrative coherence, which consisted of five dimensions: sequential organization, orientation, causal explanation, congruence of affect with content, and sense-making. Overall, mean ratings across all adoption triad members suggested more incoherence than coherence, but relative differences were found among triad members. Adoptive…
Narrating Adoption: Resisting Adoption as “Second Best” in Online Stories of Domestic Adoption Told by Adoptive Parents
Framed in narrative theory and relational dialectics theory, one hundred online stories of domestic adoption told by adoptive parents were qualitatively analyzed, revealing four primary discourses of adoption that challenge the idea that adoption is a second-best way to parent. Narrative beginnings were dominated by a discourse of adoption as a valuable alternative to pregnancy. Narrative middles-and-ends featured two discourses of how the adopti…
Perceived information ownership and control: Negotiating communication preferences in potential adoption reunions
In this study, the tension adoptees feel between learning information about their past and protecting themselves from negative or unwanted information about their birth/adoption was explored. Specifically, communication privacy management theory was used to explore adoptee preferences for information during a potential reunion with their birth mother/family. Findings suggest adoptees' preferences for information ownership and control correspond t…
It Was the Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back”: Exploring the Distancing Processes Communicatively Constructed in Parent-Child Estrangement Backstories
Despite its severity and prevalence, hardly any research addresses parent-child estrangement. Thus, in the present study we focus on the backstories of 52 adult children in the United States who engaged in communicative practices to distance themselves from their parent(s). Six themes coalesced into two backstory types: (1) continuous estrangement and (2) chaotic (dis)association. Regardless of backstory type, narrative beginnings consisted of ac…
Examining Family Communication Patterns and Seeking Social Support Direct and Indirect Effects Through Ability and Motivation: Family Communication Patterns and Support Seeking
Seeking social support remains a relatively understudied aspect of supportive communication. By integrating the literatures on family communication patterns (FCPs) and supportive communication, this study examines dispositional factors that influence support seeking in particular situations. Specifically, communicative ability and motivation to seek support were theorized to mediate the relationship between FCPs and recalled strategies of support…
Family “Bonds”: Making Meaning of Parent–Child Relationships in Estrangement Narratives
Framed by relational dialectics theory, the present study takes a critical approach to the discursive navigation of the parent–child relationship. Specifically, this study explores the ways in which the parent–child relationship is constructed in 52 narrative interviews with adult children who are estranged from their parent(s). Contrapuntal analysis revealed that two discourses compete to illuminate meanings of the parent–child relationship. Thr…
A Family for Every Child”: Discursive Constructions of “Ideal” Adoptive Families in Online Foster Adoption Photolistings That Promote Adoption of Children From Foster Care
Despite documented cultural and institutional preferences for biological family ties, approximately 100,000 children await adoption in the U.S. foster care system. Child welfare professionals have the important task of finding these children permanent families, yet little is known about this process or how “ideal” adoptive families are constructed. Thus, this study critically examines photolistings (N = 104) from www.afamilyforeverychild.org. Fin…
Family marginalization, alienation, and estrangement: Questioning the nonvoluntary status of family relationships
Despite assumptions that families are close and intact, the prevalence of family member marginalization, parent–child alienation, and parent–child estrangement is overwhelming. Largely ignored by the research community, these three family distancing processes pose significant disruptions to the entire family system. Although some of associated behaviors lead to turmoil and decreased well-being, distancing can also be a healthy solution to an unhe…
What Would a Loving Mom Do Today?”: Exploring the Meaning of Motherhood in Stories of Prenatal and Postpartum Depression
Prenatal depression (PD) and postpartum depression (PPD), experienced by up to one-quarter of pregnant women and new mothers, are associated with maternal impairment and disruptions to children’s behavior, development, and health. Women experiencing PD/PPD must cope with negative feelings and detrimental outcomes that stand in contrast with cultural conceptions of how (ideal) mothers feel and act (i.e., the discourse of intensive mothering), thus…
Losing my religion”: Identity (re)constructions in Mormon exit narratives
The present study explores how former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are often referred to as Mormons, construct their identities. Framed in an interpretive narrative approach, 150 online exit stories of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that voluntarily left the Church were qualitatively analyzed. Findings reveal five prominent identities: (1) the disenfranchised victim, (2) the redeemed …
Exploring the Identities of Hearing Parents who Chose Cochlear Implantation for their Children with Hearing Loss
We aimed to determine the types of identities hearing parents construct when telling online stories about their children with hearing loss (HL) who use cochlear implants (CIs). To do so, we employed a qualitative design and sampled 20 different blogs United States origins and written by parents of children who use CIs. We then used thematic narrative analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences.…
Making Meaning of the Parent–Child Relationship: A Dialogic Analysis of Parent-Initiated Estrangement Narratives
This study employs relational dialectics theory to explore the meaning of the parent–child relationship from the perspective of parents who distanced themselves from their children. Contrapuntal analysis of 36 online narratives revealed 2 discourses competing to make meaning of the parent–child relationship. The discourse of inseparable connection (DIC) drew upon themes of unconditional love, biology, and permanent role identification, constructi…
Uncertainty issues and management in adult children's stories of their estrangement with their parents
Framed in the uncertainty literature, the present study explores the uncertainty issues and management practices of adult children who are in the estrangement process with their parents. Results from 52 narrative interviews reveal six types of uncertainty and six management processes. Taken together, results suggest that the estrangement process is marked by chronic uncertainty that can serve multiple functions. Theoretical implications and pract…
Reconsidering Family Closeness: A Review and Call for Research on Family Distancing
The purpose of this essay is to illustrate the opportunity communication scholars have in defining and illuminating the process of family distancing. With this in mind, we begin by challenging three common misconceptions about the enduring quality of family relationships before forwarding an initial model of family distancing based on existing literature. Finally, we call for new research that addresses family distancing in multiple contexts
Individual and community practices for constructing communicative resilience: Exploring the communicative processes of coping with parental alienation
Parental alienation occurs after parents divorce and intentionally or even unintentionally persuade their children to distance themselves from or reject the other parent. Framed by the communication theory of resilience, this study explores the communicative practices that enable and constrain the targeted alienated parents’ ability to create normalcy at the individual and online community levels. We also examine the relationships between individ…
I Don’t Want to Have a Weird Relationship with You, So I’m Trying”: Relational Turning Points and Trajectories of Ex-Member Children and Their Member Parents in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da…
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints face a unique and often turbulent time in their relationship with their parent if the individual decides to leave the Church. To explore this phenomenon, we investigated the turning points and relational trajectories of children who have left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their interactions with their parents still active in the Church. Thirty emerging adult children…
The Mediating Role of Helicopter Parenting in the Relationship between Family Communication Patterns and Resilience in First-semester College Students
Resilience is important for students transitioning to college given vast attrition rates due to the stress of change and new challenges. This study applied family communication patterns theory (FCP) to explore the relationships among family environment, helicopter parenting, and student resilience. Two mediation models were tested with survey data from 2,253 people in their first semester of college in the United States. Both conversation and con…
My Mom Always Tells that Story to Friends and Relatives”: Exploring the Phenomenon of Other-Presentation
To examine the phenomenon of other-presentation, we framed our study in communicated narrative sense-making theory (CNSM) and employed grounded theory to develop two typologies. Specifically, we sought to illuminate the ways parents characterize and construct the identities of their children when speaking to third parties and identify the types of stories parents tell. Based on theoretical sampling and a narrative adaption of the constant compari…
Understanding the triggers and communicative processes that constitute resilience in the context of migration to the United States
There are approximately 244 million migrants worldwide and 40 million migrants living in the US. These migrants face a myriad of stressors that they need to overcome. Framed by the communication theory of resilience, this study explores the resilience triggers and processes migrants discuss during their migration experience. Findings from 43 narrative interviews reveal three resilience triggers, four resilience processes, and two relationships be…
Voicing the system: How formerly fostered adults make meaning of the U.S. foster care system
The U.S. foster care system aims to provide care to children who are unable to live safely with their families of origin. Yet, fostered youth endure negative experiences before, during, and after foster care. This study investigates tensions between stated goals and experiences of foster care, from the perspective of (formerly) fostered youth. Framed by relational dialectics theory, contrapuntal analysis of 32 narrative interviews revealed two di…
Assessing Organizational Cultural Responsiveness among Refugee-Servicing Domestic Violence Agencies
Refugee community members who have experienced domestic violence in the U.S. face complex challenges in seeking help which may ultimately impact their ability to leave violent relationships. When domestic violence organizations are not prepared to serve them in culturally responsive ways, these challenges are exacerbated. This study surveyed 70 executive directors of domestic violence agencies in U.S. resettlement cities about the extent to which…
A child for every family? Characterizations of "adoptable" foster children in online permanency advocacy publications
Despite the prevalence of children in need of adoption from the U.S. foster care system, only one of every 28 individuals who contact an adoption agency adopt from foster care. In response, adoption professionals create photolistings to maximize the pool of available prospective adoptive families and enhance the visibility of fostered youth. Yet, creating photolistings is challenging because professionals must navigate helping to place children w…
Taking sides and feeling caught: Communicative complications for immediate family members of estranged parent-child dyads
Framed by family systems theory and social constructionism, the present study is the first to illuminate the experiences of immediate family members of estranged parent-child dyads. A thematic analysis of 27 immediate family members (13 siblings, 6 children, 4 spouses, and 4 parents of estranged parent-child dyads) revealed (a) 4 ways they discussed taking sides, (b) 3 messages that contributed to them feeling caught, and (c) 6 practices they eng…
Thematic Co-occurrence Analysis: Advancing a Theory and Qualitative Method to Illuminate Ambivalent Experiences
Ambivalence is a phenomenon that transcends disciplinary divides and is associated with a myriad of mixed outcomes. Yet, identifying and representing the complexities of ambivalent experiences can be difficult using traditional qualitative methods. Thus, the goal of the present study was to advance a qualitative method, thematic co-occurrence analysis, to address this issue. To illustrate the usefulness of this method, I present a case study deta…
“I Have to Social Norm This”: Making Meaning of Hearing Loss from the Perspective of Adults Who Use Hearing Aids
Framed by relational dialectics theory, the present study takes a critical approach to interrogating the social structures that promote and resist hearing loss and hearing aid-related stigma. Specifically, this study explores the ways the meaning of hearing loss is constructed in 30 narrative interviews with adults who use hearing aids. Contrapuntal analysis revealed that two discourses compete to illuminate meanings of hearing loss. Four interre…
Psychology (44 works) · Social Psychology (36 works) · Sociology (36 works) · Social Psychology (26 works) · Developmental psychology (21 works) · Epistemology (20 works) · Narrative (20 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (17 works) · Dialectic (14 works) · Medicine (14 works)