An Agenda for Studying Ethnicity and Family Communication

Abstract

Communication research conducted on European American families may or may not generalize to non-European American families. Our purpose in this article is to present a theoretical model derived from cross-cultural research that can be applied to studying the ways ethnicity influences family communication. We argue that the strength of cultural and ethnic identities and the content of ethnic and cultural identities are important factors that influence how family communication varies within and across ethnic groups. Based on our theoretical arguments, we proffer predictions for future research.