The current study employed a confirmation perspective to examine the relationship between communication with significant others and individuals’ weight management. Confirmation was conceptualized as consisting of two components—acceptance and challenge. In Study 1, 413 participants (aged 18-66) completed a survey assessing their diet and exercise behaviors as well as interactions with a significant other about weight management. As predicted, the combination of acceptance and challenge from significant others was related to the highest levels of body self-esteem, eating and exercise self-efficacy, and healthy eating behaviors beyond the individual effects of acceptance and challenge. In Study 2, 161 participants (aged 18-62) rated the effectiveness of messages varying in acceptance and challenge. Messages higher in both acceptance and challenge were rated as more effective in motivating healthy behaviors than messages primarily higher in either acceptance or challenge or lower in both. Overall, both studies suggest the contribution of one component of confirmation was enhanced by the presence of the other component in predicting weight management attitudes and behaviors.
Consumption of alcohol is widespread in U.S. culture, particularly among college students. Using a communication privacy management framework ( Petronio, 2002 ), this study examined how college students who abstain from alcohol negotiate communication of their nondrinking status and establish meaning in a culture in which drinking is the norm. Through 25 face-to-face interviews, this article explores the experiences of "healthy deviants"-individuals who engage in healthy behavior that violates traditional norms. Interviews identified that participants relied on privacy rules when determining whether and how to disclose their nondrinking status. If participants perceived more costs from the disclosure than rewards, they did not disclose. Participants enacted specific strategies to manage (non)disclosure of their abstinence from alcohol, providing practical ways for people who engage in healthy deviance to avoid or manage stigma.
Using confirmation theory, this study investigated how romantic couples' (N = 100) accepting and challenging communication was associated with several weight management (WM) outcomes (i.e., partners' general effectiveness in motivating each other to enact healthy behaviors, productivity of WM conversations, and diet and exercise behaviors). Actor-partner interdependence model analyses showed that acceptance and challenge from partners simultaneously predicted how effective partners were in motivating healthy behaviors, but these components of confirmation predicted the other outcomes in different ways. Analyses across the outcomes also revealed that similar partner communication styles predicted general effectiveness, more productive WM conversations, and healthier eating habits. The findings of this study highlight the importance of assessing the interdependence of partners' WM efforts.
As the majority of full-time employees drink alcohol, and alcohol can play an important role in professional interactions and career success, the current study examined the ways in which working professionals who abstain from alcohol manage communication about their non-drinking status. Framed by the theoretical lens of facework, semi-structured, in-depth interviews of 29 non-drinking professionals revealed that non-drinking in the real world is a deviant act that can be face threatening for non-drinkers and drinkers alike. Consequently, non-drinkers deployed a variety of preventive and corrective facework strategies (including passing and humor) to mitigate and remediate positive and negative face threat. This investigation uncovered practical communication tools individuals can use to abstain from alcohol without compromising their careers.
College drinking continues to remain a public health problem that has been exacerbated by alcohol-related posts on social networking sites (SNSs). Although existing research has linked alcohol consumption, alcohol posts, and adverse consequences to one another, comprehensive explanations for these associations have been largely unexplored. Thus, we reasoned that students' personal motivations (i.e., espousing an alcohol identity, needing entertainment, and adhering to social norms) influence their behaviors (i.e., alcohol consumption and alcohol-related posting on SNSs), which can lead to alcohol problems. Using structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 364 undergraduate students and found general support for our model. In particular, espousing an alcohol identity predicted alcohol consumption and alcohol-related SNS posting, needing entertainment predicted alcohol consumption but not alcohol-related SNS posting, and adhering to social norms predicted alcohol-related SNS posting but not alcohol consumption. In turn, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related SNS posting predicted alcohol problems. It is surprising that alcohol-related SNS posting was a stronger predictor of alcohol problems than alcohol consumption. We discuss the findings within their applied applications for college student health.
Financial knowledge is essential for becoming a productive member of society, yet little is known about how parents communicate with their children about finances. Using a communication privacy management framework (Petronio, 2002), this study examined, through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews of 23 parents, what financial issues parents shared with their children and why parents chose to reveal or conceal this information. Interviews identified that parents relied on privacy boundaries and rules when determining whether to disclose private information to their children. If parents perceived more risks from the disclosure than rewards, or that talking about money was culturally unacceptable, they did not disclose. This study extends research on parent-child communication about money and offers practical implications for discussing a taboo topic.
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