Parents' Military Status and their Communication Patterns with Emerging Adult Children
Abstract
This thesis explores the parent-child relationship in emerging adulthood, a period of time of developing independence and a changing parent-child relationship (Arnett, 2000). During this period, a child may live outside of the family household for the first time. The change in dynamic and living situations may highlight communication patterns between parents and adult children. Parents' dynamics with their children are informed by their experience. One experience that particularly impacts parenting is service in the military (Houston et.al, 2013; Wilson et.al, 2014). What remains unknown is whether a parent’s military status affects parent-child communication during this change. Some indicators of parent-child communication are family cohesion, adaptability, and communication satisfaction. Family cohesion refers to the degree of connection between family members (Olson et.al, 1982), while adaptability refers to the family’s responsiveness to change (Olson et.al, 1982). Communication satisfaction refers to the degree to which members feel understood when communicating (Hecht, 1978). Emerging adults may report different amounts of these three indicators depending on whether a parent was deployed (absent from the household) during service, on active duty without deployment, or not affiliated with the military. To answer this question, this quantitative thesis will use a survey to collect data from a pool of emerging adults. Participants will be recruited from East Tennessee State University by email advertisements, personal networks, and Reddit threads. Family cohesion and adaptability will be measured using Olson et al.’s (1982) FACES II instrument. Communication satisfaction will be measured using Hecht’s (1978) Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory. Participants will indicate their parents’ military status and answer demographic questions. Data will be analyzed using SPSS. Results will identify whether differences in family functioning are based on parental military status and contribute to family communication and military family research by highlighting how structured, high-demand environments may shape adaptive processes within families.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 10:00 AM
Room Number
272
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Research-in-Progress
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Faculty Mentor
Anzur Christine
Parents' Military Status and their Communication Patterns with Emerging Adult Children
272
This thesis explores the parent-child relationship in emerging adulthood, a period of time of developing independence and a changing parent-child relationship (Arnett, 2000). During this period, a child may live outside of the family household for the first time. The change in dynamic and living situations may highlight communication patterns between parents and adult children. Parents' dynamics with their children are informed by their experience. One experience that particularly impacts parenting is service in the military (Houston et.al, 2013; Wilson et.al, 2014). What remains unknown is whether a parent’s military status affects parent-child communication during this change. Some indicators of parent-child communication are family cohesion, adaptability, and communication satisfaction. Family cohesion refers to the degree of connection between family members (Olson et.al, 1982), while adaptability refers to the family’s responsiveness to change (Olson et.al, 1982). Communication satisfaction refers to the degree to which members feel understood when communicating (Hecht, 1978). Emerging adults may report different amounts of these three indicators depending on whether a parent was deployed (absent from the household) during service, on active duty without deployment, or not affiliated with the military. To answer this question, this quantitative thesis will use a survey to collect data from a pool of emerging adults. Participants will be recruited from East Tennessee State University by email advertisements, personal networks, and Reddit threads. Family cohesion and adaptability will be measured using Olson et al.’s (1982) FACES II instrument. Communication satisfaction will be measured using Hecht’s (1978) Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory. Participants will indicate their parents’ military status and answer demographic questions. Data will be analyzed using SPSS. Results will identify whether differences in family functioning are based on parental military status and contribute to family communication and military family research by highlighting how structured, high-demand environments may shape adaptive processes within families.
