Because of the rising divorce rate and the potential debilitating effects that divorce can have on families, an enormous amount of research has been devoted to understanding the impact of divorce on family relationships. Research by professor Tamara Afifi has contributed to this endeavor by examining how parents and children communicate with one another about divorce-related issues. Most of her latest work has examined children’s feelings of being caught between their parents and avoidance tendencies. She is also currently investigating how parents and adolescents communicate about divorce stressors and how this impacts their physical and mental health. Click on any of the article titles below to view an abstract of this work.

Afifi, T. D., Coho, A., & McManus, T. (under review). Custodial parents’ divorce
disclosures and their impact on parent-adolescent relational quality and adolescents’ physical and mental health.

Afifi, T. D., Huber, F.., & Ohs, J. (under review). Parents’ and adolescents’ communication with each other about divorce related stressors and its impact on their ability to cope positively with divorce.

Afifi, T. D., Hutchinson, S., & Krouse, S. (under review). A contextual model of communal coping in post-divorce families.

Amato, P. & Afifi, T. D. (in press). Feeling caught between parents: Adult children’s
relations with parents and subjective well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family.

Afifi, T. D. (2003). “Feeling caught” in stepfamilies: Managing boundary turbulence through
appropriate privacy coordination rules. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 729-756.

Afifi, T. D., & Schrodt, P. (2003). Uncertainty and the avoidance of the state of one’s family/relationships in stepfamilies, post-divorce single parent families, and first marriage families. Human Communication Research, 29, 516-533.

Afifi, T. D., & Schrodt, P. (2003). “Feeling caught” as a mediator of adolescents’ and young adults’ avoidance and satisfaction with their parents in divorced and non- divorced households. Communication Monographs, 70, 142-173.

Golish, T. D. (2003). Stepfamily communication strengths: Understanding the ties that bind. Human Communication Research, 29, 41-80.

Golish, T. D., & Caughlin, J. (2002). “I’d rather not talk about it”: Adolescents’ and young adults’ use of topic avoidance in stepfamilies. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 30, 78-106.

Past research (and much current research) used to suggest that complete openness was equated with healthy and fulfilling relationships. Research by professor Tamara Afifi and others, however, has questioned this assumption by examining the conditions in which avoidance and secrets are beneficial and harmful to personal and relational well-being. In particular, this body of work suggests that one must consider numerous factors, including the motivations for regulating information, perceptions of the avoidance, and the context of the relationship, in order to determine the impact of withholding information on relationships. Abstracts from this work can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

Afifi, T. D., Olson, L., & Armstrong, C. (2005). The chilling effect and family secrets: Examining the role of self protection, other protection, and communication efficacy. Human Communication Research, 31, 564-598.

Afifi, T. D., & Olson, L. N. (2005). The chilling effect in families and the pressure to conceal secrets. Communication Monographs, 72, 192-216.

Caughlin, J. & Afifi, T. D. (2004). When is topic avoidance unsatisfying?: A more complete investigation into the underlying links between avoidance and dissatisfaction in parent-child and dating relationships. Human Communication Research, 30, 479-514.

Afifi, T. D. (2003). “Feeling caught” in stepfamilies: Managing boundary turbulence through appropriate privacy coordination rules. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 729-756.

Afifi, T. D., & Schrodt, P. (2003). Uncertainty and the avoidance of the state of one’s family/relationships in stepfamilies, post-divorce single parent families, and first marriage families. Human Communication Research, 29, 516-533.

Afifi, T. D., & Schrodt, P. (2003). “Feeling caught” as a mediator of adolescents’ and young adults’ avoidance and satisfaction with their parents in divorced and non-divorced households. Communication Monographs, 70, 142-173.

Caughlin, J. & Golish, T. (2002). An analysis of the association between topic avoidance and dissatisfaction: Comparing perceptual and interpersonal explanations. Communication Monographs, 69, 275-296.