Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Communication and Storytelling Studies
Date of Award
5-2026
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Amber Kinser
Committee Members
Christine Anzur, Brianna Cusanno August-Rae
Abstract
This qualitative study examined how international graduate students maintained long-distance communication with family members while adapting to life in the United States. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with seven international students, the research explored how participants sustained emotional closeness, manage disclosure, and select communication media across geographic distance. Guided by Communication Privacy Management Theory and Media Richness Theory, the study analyzed how students regulated private information and strategically used video calls, voice calls, and messaging platforms to meet relational and emotional needs. Findings revealed four primary themes: reliance on digital communication technologies; the emotional and psychological functions of family communication; structural and emotional challenges, including time zone differences and selective disclosure; and adaptive strategies that support both connection and independence. This study contributes to scholarship on transnational family communication by highlighting the relational labor and strategic media use that shape international students’ cross-border family ties.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Abubakar, Hummuh, "“The Distance and Time Difference Aren’t Helping”: Family Communication Practices of African Graduate Students Adapting to a New Country" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4701. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4701
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
