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Conversation Topics and Communication Satisfaction in Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships

University of Kansas, meichen{at}ku.edu

Jake Harwood

University of Kansas

Jaye L. Bonnesen

Georgia State University

This article investigated college students’ and their grandparents’ (n = 103 dyads) reports of topics in conversation with each other. For grandparents and grandchildren, family and education were the two most frequently mentioned topics. Other popular topics were leisure and friendship for both grandparents and grandchildren. Acluster analysis was performed to group the grandparent-grandchild dyads according to their topic reports. Four dyadic clusters were identified: family relationships, social activity talk, social and work talk, and impersonal events. Grandparents and grandchildren demonstrated moderate levels of agreement in the topics they reported. No association was found between reports of topics and communication satisfaction whether the reported topics were treated individually or dyadically. Theoretical implications for the literature on intergenerational communication both within and outside of family contexts are discussed.

Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Vol. 21, No. 3, 302-323 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0261927X02021003005


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