Parent-Child Communication: Study about Communicational Dimensions Highlighted by Parents and Children

Communication seems to play a central role in the parent-child relationship, especially in parenting exercise. This mixed study (qualitative/quantitative) was designed to identify the most referred communication dimensions in the perspective of both parents and children (7-16 years old). To achieve this goal, 10 individual interviews with parents and 2 focus groups with ten children, without matching relationship, were carried out. The content analysis revealed seven parent-child communication dimensions (Metacommunication, Communication Problems, Child Attitude, Parental Attitude, Problematic Situations, Affective Expression and Rules/Limits Establishment). Each of these dimensions was composed by subdimensions, revealing consistence and coherence with theoretical literature. These findings will underpin the development of a parent-child communication scale.