Positive Communication Behaviors Research Articles

Home is for Caring, School is for Learning: Qualitative Data from Child Graduates of INSIGHTS

TOPIC: Parent–child communication behaviors.PURPOSE: The goal of this naturalistic study was to learn more about the communication behaviors that exist between school‐aged inner‐city minority children who completed a temperament‐based intervention study and the significant adults in their life. A paucity of information exists about the communication processes in this population; therefore, this paper addresses this gap.METHOD: A grounded theory approach was used for data collection and analysis. Data were obtained from multiple sources including individual and group interviews of 36 first and second graders from three inner‐city elementary schools, their parents, and teachers. Data triangulation, member‐check, and independent audit supported trustworthiness and credibility of findings.FINDINGS: Child communication behaviors involved being able to read the environment, respect others, do the right thing, and know how best to talk with others. Child findings were congruent with parent and teacher data and indicated that communication was driven by concerns for safety and community violence potential and embedded within strong cultural beliefs.CONCLUSIONS: Nurses are in a unique position to educate both parents and children about the importance of developing and maintaining positive communication behaviors with each other. Positive communication behaviors may serve as a protective factor in promoting child safety in inner‐city minority children.

Effects of Supervisor Performance Feedback on Increasing Preservice Teachers' Positive Communication Behaviors With Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of supervisor performance feedback on preservice teachers' rates of positive and negative communication behaviors with students with emotional and behavioral disorders and the effects of the intervention on the preservice teachers' perceptions of classroom management and climate. The authors used a multiple baseline design across preservice teachers with a 1-min interval recording system to measure the frequencies of positive and negative verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors of preservice teachers. They also recorded preservice teachers' statements and gestures to provide specific performance feedback. Preservice teachers' perceptions on the effects of the intervention were monitored using their reflective journal entries. Specific performance feedback increased the ratio of positive-to-negative preservice teacher communication behaviors. In addition, preservice teacher satisfaction was improved. Results suggest that supervisors' use of specific performance feedback may assist preservice teachers to implement a higher ratio of positive-to-negative communications with their students.

A cross-cultural examination of the relation of marital communication behavior to marital satisfaction.

Numerous studies have examined the communication behaviors of Western, primarily North American, couples and have demonstrated a robust and reliable association between marital satisfaction and couple communication. However, there has been relatively less attention given to the generalizability of these findings to non-Western couples. To address this issue, the authors conducted an observational study of marital communication among couples from 3 different cultural groups: 50 White American couples, 52 Pakistani couples in Pakistan, and 48 immigrant Pakistani couples in America. The results show that positive and negative communication behaviors were associated with marital satisfaction within each of the 3 cultural groups. However, the American group's marital satisfaction was more strongly related to marital communication behaviors than was that of the Pakistani group and, to a lesser extent, the immigrant group.

Are physicians’ attitudes of respect accurately perceived by patients and associated with more positive communication behaviors?

Objective To explore the domain of physician-reported respect for individual patients by investigating the following questions: How variable is physician-reported respect for patients? What patient characteristics are associated with greater physician-reported respect? Do patients accurately perceive levels of physician respect? Are there specific communication behaviors associated with physician-reported respect for patients? Methods We audiotaped 215 patient–physician encounters with 30 different physicians in primary care. After each encounter, the physician rated the level of respect that s/he had for that patient using the following item: “Compared to other patients, I have a great deal of respect for this patient” on a five-point scale between strongly agree and strongly disagree. Patients completed a post-visit questionnaire that included a parallel respect item: “This doctor has a great deal of respect for me.” Audiotapes of the patient visits were analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) to characterize communication behaviors. Outcome variables included four physician communication behaviors: information-giving, rapport-building, global affect, and verbal dominance. A linear mixed effects modeling approach that accounts for clustering of patients within physicians was used to compare varying levels of physician-reported respect for patients with physician communication behaviors and patient perceptions of being respected. Results : Physician-reported respect varied across patients. Physicians strongly agreed that they had a great deal of respect for 73 patients (34%), agreed for 96 patients (45%) and were either neutral or disagreed for 46 patients (21%). Physicians reported higher levels of respect for older patients and for patients they knew well. The level of respect that physicians reported for individual patients was not significantly associated with that patient's gender, race, education, or health status; was not associated with the physician's gender, race, or number of years in practice; and was not associated with race concordance between patient and physician. While 45% of patients overestimated physician respect, 38% reported respect precisely as rated by the physician, and 16% underestimated physician respect ( r = 0.18, p = 0.007). Those who were the least respected by their physician were the least likely to perceive themselves as being highly respected; only 36% of the least respected patients compared to 59% and 61% of the highly and moderately respected patients perceived themselves to be highly respected ( p = 0.012). Compared with the least-respected patients, physicians were more affectively positive with highly respected patients ( p = 0.034) and provided more information to highly and moderately respected patients ( p = 0.018). Conclusion Physicians’ ratings of respect vary across patients and are primarily associated with familiarity rather than sociodemographic characteristics. Patients are able to perceive when they are respected by their physicians, although when they are not accurate, they tend to overestimate physician respect. Physicians who are more respectful towards particular patients provide more information and express more positive affect in visits with those patients. Practice implications Physician respectful attitudes may be important to target in improving communication with patients.

Trust Diffusion: The Effect of Interpersonal Trust on Structure, Function, and Organizational Transparency

This study presents an organizational model to explain when and how trust permeates an organization, when it is constrained and to what extent it informs the perceptions of transparency among stakeholders. Through the use of qualitative research, resulting in five corporate case studies, and a separate quantitative analysis, it was possible to demonstrate ways in which trust can be diffused amongorganizational layers. These findings add to the literature by analyzing trust in organizational settings via reciprocal dyadic relationships in a social-structural context. These findings suggest that functional elements and informal network position contributed to the dyad's ability to establish positive trust climates and specific communication and cooperative behaviors were critical in diffusing trust to the group level; the degree of organizational transparency positively correlated to the degree of dyadic and group-level trust.

Harmonies and tensions in Chinese intergenerational communication

This study examined interview accounts of intergenerational communication from twenty younger adults (M age = 24.05; Age range: 19 to 33) and thirteen older adults (M age = 67.10; Age range: 62 to 72) in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed into Chinese. Meaningful descriptions of intergenerational communication were then translated to English. Using an emergent theme analysis approach, we identified themes that fell into three broad areas: 1) positive intergenerational communication behaviors, 2) negative intergenerational behaviors, and 3) ideal intergenerational communication. The analysis also revealed that some themes of the two age groups were congruent (e.g., the mutual endorsement of filial piety), while others were incongruent with each other (e.g., disagreement on perceptions on equality and superiority). Themes are compared to descriptions of intergenerational communication found in research within Western cultures. Themes are also discussed in relation to cross-cultural intergenerational research, the Communication Predicament of Aging model, and the changing Chinese economic and political system.

Affectionate communication between fathers and young adult sons: Individual‐and relational‐level correlates

Men's relationships with their fathers may be among the most important and influential same‐sex relationships they form in the life course. Although several studies have examined issues such as aggressiveness, conflict, and dysfunction between fathers and adult sons, far less attention has been paid to more positive communication behaviors in such relationships. The present study examines the individual‐ and relational‐level correlates of affectionate behavior in adult paternal relationships, using data from 55 pairs of fathers and their young adult biological sons. As predicted by the gendered closeness perspective, results indicated that fathers and sons communicate affection more through the provision of social support than through direct verbal or nonverbal expressions. Furthermore, results found that fathers are more affectionate toward young adult sons than sons are toward fathers. Affection was largely associated with psychological femininity and the endorsement of father‐son affection as an appropriate behavior. Affection was also associated with relational closeness, self‐disclosure, and communication satisfaction.

The impact of communication apprehension and fear of talking with a physician on perceived medical outcomes

This study examined the relationships among trait CA, state CA (fear of interacting with a physician), and patient perceived satisfaction with quality of medical care and physician. The results indicated that trait CA and fear of the physician were positively related. However, trait CA was not significantly related to patient perceived satisfaction with quality of medical care or physician. State CA, in contrast, was significantly negatively related to both patient perceived satisfaction with medical care and satisfaction with physician. It is concluded that future research should investigate the impact of physicians’ engaging in positive communication behaviors on patients’ apprehension and medical outcomes.

Prevention of marital distress: Results of a German prospective longitudinal study.

This article reports on the development and long-term evaluation of a marital distress prevention program for German couples, the Ein Partnerschaftliches Lernprogramm (EPL, A Couple's Learning Program). The EPL is a 6-session program designed to teach couples effective communication and problem-solving skills. In the current article, the EPL is evaluated in a prospective, quasi-experimental, controlled trial. The results of the 3-year follow-up are reported, contrasting 55 EPL couples with a control group of 17 couples. Significant differences emerged with regard to the couples' dissolution rates, relationship satisfaction, and positive and negative communication behavior favoring the EPL couples. These results demonstrate the utility of the EPL program in assisting happy couples who are preparing for marriage. The implications of the findings for prevention research and for the dissemination of prevention programs are discussed.

Listening and Talking to Patients

Abstract This study evaluates the hypothesis that the way physicians communicate with patients and the degree patients perceive physician fault for bad medical outcomes are risk factors for the initiation of malpractice lawsuits. The study involved 160 adults who viewed a videotape of a physician treating a patient while using either positive or negative communication behaviors. Participants were told that the case had either a positive result, a bad result through no fault of the physician, a bad result for uncertain reasons, or a bad result that was the physician's fault. Participants then rated their litigious feelings. Results showed that the use of negative communication behaviors by the physician increased litigious intentions. An increased perception of physician fault for the bad result also increased litigious intentions. Uncertainty as to the reason for the bad outcome, however, raised litigious feelings nearly as much as did perceived physician fault. The results of the study support the hypothesis that altering the way physicians communicate and improving patient education can affect the risk of malpractice lawsuits.

MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS OF ALCOHOLIC, CONFLICTED, AND NONCONFLICTED COUPLES*

Twenty‐six couples with alcoholic husbands, and 26 maritally conflicted and 26 nonconflicted couples without alcohol problems were compared. As predicted, the alcoholic and maritally conflicted couples did not differ, and both groups of problem couples showed greater relationship distress than nonconflicted couples on measures of marital stability, change desired, and positive communication behaviors. Contrary to predictions, alcoholic couples were not unique with respect to struggles for control, a pattern of wife dominance, a responsibility‐avoiding style of communication by the alcoholic husband, or impaired perceptual accuracy. Unexpectedly, alcoholic husbands reported less marital unhappiness than both their wives and maritally conflicted husbands on most of the self‐report marital satisfaction measures.

Treating the disconfirmed psychiatric client.

Frequent disconfirmation behaviors have been documented in psychiatric clients. Individuals who demonstrate maladaptive patterns of disconfirmation can learn to understand and modify this dysfunctional sequence. Through one to one interactions and group discussions, psychiatric nurses can help clients learn more positive communication behaviors. This accomplishment will positively affect the client's interpersonal responsiveness and self-esteem.

CROWDING, TASK PERFORMANCE, AND COMMUNICATIVE INTERACTION IN YOUTH AND OLD AGE

Following Altman's privacy regulation model, this research was based on the assumption that the relationship between achieved and desired levels of privacy is a major determinant of the experience of crowding in small groups. Further, on the basis of evidence that advancing age is associated with a chronic lack of communicative interaction, it was assumed that the achieved level of privacy among elderly persons generally is greater than that experienced by young adults. Given these assumptions, it was predicted that the crowding threshold of young adults would be significantly lower than that of older persons. To test this hypothesis, the research varied conversation distance (close, far) and density (small room, large room) and assessed the quality of communicative interaction and task performance among small groups of college-age females and retired women over 60 years of age. Results showed that task performance among younger subjects deteriorated in close interaction conditions, whereas the performance of older subjects was improved by spatial intrusion. Further, older subjects exhibited positive communication behaviors in response to close conversation, high-density conditions, while younger subjects responded either with negative communication behaviors or were unaffected by spatial restriction. Finally, the research confirmed previous findings that conversation distance is a more important determinant of the experience of crowding in small groups than physical density. The significance of the results for Altman's privacy regulation model and their implications for the study of human communication behaviors were discussed.