The Relationship of Family Communication Pattern with Adolescents’ Assertiveness

Background: Adolescence is among the most critical stages of life, during which assertiveness starts to develop. Parents and their communication patterns have significant roles in adolescents’ successful transition to adulthood. The present study aimed to examine the relationship of family communication patterns with adolescents’ assertiveness. Methods: This descriptive - analytical study was conducted on 400 high - school students in Birjand, Iran. Students were selected via multistage random sampling. A demographic questionnaire, the 26 - item Revised Family Communication Patterns, and the 30 - item Rathus Assertiveness Schedule were employed for data collection. The SPSS software (v. 16) was used to analyze the data by conducting the one - way analysis of variance, the Chi - square test, and the stepwise multivariate regression at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: The most and the least common family communication patterns among participants were pluralistic (73 students, 28.1%) and protective (58 students, 22.3%) patterns, respectively. Students with pluralistic family communication patterns obtained significantly higher assertiveness scores than those with laissez - faire (P < 0.001) and protective (P = 0.004) patterns. The conversation orientation dimension of family communication pattern explained 9% of the total variance of students’ assertiveness. Conclusions: The conversation orientation dimension of family communication pattern is a significant predictor of adolescents’ assertiveness. Parents can increase their adolescents’ assertiveness through creating a more hospitable and open atmosphere in their families and encouraging adolescents to express and discuss their ideas and feelings.