Children of Divorce and their Nonresidential Parent's Family: Examining Perceptions of Communication Accommodation

Communicating and negotiating boundaries can be a challenge to family members who have experienced a divorce and remarriage. In particular, children and their nonresidential parent's family may potentially manage challenges in their communication as the child transitions into stepfamily life. Centered in the interpretive paradigm and Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT), the researcher interviewed 27 children of divorce about their transition into stepfamily life to address how, if at all, they accommodated their communication with the nonresidential parent's family as well as their perceptions of their family's accommodation. The findings highlight the complexity of managing familial roles in the face of change. Implications and directions for future research are also addressed.