Content area
Abstract
Family privacy, communication, and culture are explored in this study. Specifically the study investigated whether cultural orientation moderates the relationship between parental intrusion, family communication, and family satisfaction. Communication Privacy Management was the theoretical framework used in this study, and cultural orientation was addressed using the construct of collectivism and individualism.
A total of 245 college students completed a survey to measure family privacy, family communication, family satisfaction, and cultural orientation. Colleges from Nebraska, Texas, and Florida were sampled in this study to obtain participants who represented diverse cultural orientations.
Two sets of hypotheses were tested in the study. The first focused on family satisfaction and the second focused on parental intrusion and family communication. Eight regression analyses were conducted. The first four regressions included a cultural dimension as a moderating variable, parental intrusion as the independent variable, and family communication as the dependent variable. The last four regressions included a cultural dimension as a moderating variable, parental intrusion as the independent variable, and family satisfaction as the dependent variable.
Results found that cultural orientation did not moderate the relationship between family communication and family satisfaction. However, main effects were found for cultural orientation and parental intrusion. A positive relationship was found between the horizontal-vertical collectivism cultural orientation and family satisfaction as well as family communication. A negative relationship was found between parental intrusion, family satisfaction, and family communication when the cultural orientation was collectivism (both horizontal and vertical dimensions) as well as individualism (both horizontal and vertical). The results of the study supported Petronio’s Communication Privacy Management theory that suggests that privacy intrusion negatively affects the parent-child relationship. Several communication implications are also provided to help parents improve their relationships with their young-adult children. Finally, limitations of the study were discussed.
