School of Journalism and Communication, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China.
Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China.
BMC Psychol. 2023 Sep 26;11(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01331-y.
This study explores and compares the influences of family communication patterns (conversation orientation and conformity orientation) on family discussion and preventive behaviors for older parents and their adult children in the context of the early COVID-19 outbreak.
A total of 248 participants, including 117 parents and 131 adult children, participated in an online survey in February 2020. Participants reported family communication patterns, family discussions related to COVID-19, and their preventive behaviors.
Conversation orientation was positively associated with information sharing and scientific discussion for older parents and adult children. Our results revealed the differential influences of conformity orientation on older parents and adult children. Conformity orientation was positively associated with scientific discussion for older parents but was not significantly associated with any form of family discussion reported by adult children. There was a significant interaction effect of conversation orientation and conformity orientation on disputed communication within the family, suggesting that conflicts may arise in COVID-related discussions when parents and adult children value conversation and conformity. Scientific discussion was found to mediate the relationships between family communication patterns and preventive behaviors. The effects of scientific discussions were stronger for older parents than for adult children.
Family communication patterns can be associated with preventive behaviors through different forms of family discussion about COVID-19. Conversation orientation is a strong facilitator for positive behavioral effects and scientific discussion is the most benign form of family health discussion. Health communication efforts should enhance the agency role of the family and motivate scientific discussion in health practices.
本研究探讨并比较了家庭沟通模式（对话导向和一致性导向）对 COVID-19 早期爆发背景下老年父母及其成年子女家庭讨论和预防行为的影响。
共有 248 名参与者，包括 117 名父母和 131 名成年子女，于 2020 年 2 月参与了一项在线调查。参与者报告了家庭沟通模式、与 COVID-19 相关的家庭讨论以及他们的预防行为。
对话导向与老年父母和成年子女的信息分享和科学讨论呈正相关。我们的结果揭示了一致性导向对老年父母和成年子女的不同影响。一致性导向与老年父母的科学讨论呈正相关，但与成年子女报告的任何形式的家庭讨论均无显著关联。对话导向和一致性导向对家庭内部争议性沟通存在显著的交互效应，这表明当父母和成年子女重视对话和一致性时，COVID 相关讨论中可能会出现冲突。科学讨论被发现可以在家庭沟通模式和预防行为之间起到中介作用。科学讨论对老年父母的影响强于对成年子女的影响。
家庭沟通模式可以通过 COVID-19 相关家庭讨论的不同形式与预防行为相关。对话导向是促进积极行为效果的有力因素，而科学讨论是家庭健康讨论中最良性的形式。健康传播工作应增强家庭的能动性作用，并激励健康实践中的科学讨论。
