Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The enactment of relational maintenance when Guatemalan parents are forcibly separated from their families due to deportation

The enactment of relational maintenance when Guatemalan parents are forcibly separated from their... This study examines how parents deported to Guatemala from the United States (U.S.) use relational maintenance strategies to preserve relationships with their family living in the U.S. In a context of forced separation where family reunification is severely constrained, this study considers economic, social, and cultural impacts on individuals’ abilities to engage in relational maintenance. Interviews conducted in Guatemala with parents having previously been deported from the U.S. were coded and analyzed using contextualist thematic analysis. Findings revealed that relational maintenance is crucial to family preservation, with parents relying on assurances, positivity, advice-giving, and social networks to maintain a sense of relational continuity and their own position of influence within the family. Parents faced barriers to enacting strategies of shared tasks, openness, and conflict management. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Applied Communication Research Taylor & Francis

The enactment of relational maintenance when Guatemalan parents are forcibly separated from their families due to deportation

19 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/taylor-francis/the-enactment-of-relational-maintenance-when-guatemalan-parents-are-p5PKyQMcPc

References (34)

Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2023 National Communication Association
ISSN
0090-9882
eISSN
1479-5752
DOI
10.1080/00909882.2023.2206460
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This study examines how parents deported to Guatemala from the United States (U.S.) use relational maintenance strategies to preserve relationships with their family living in the U.S. In a context of forced separation where family reunification is severely constrained, this study considers economic, social, and cultural impacts on individuals’ abilities to engage in relational maintenance. Interviews conducted in Guatemala with parents having previously been deported from the U.S. were coded and analyzed using contextualist thematic analysis. Findings revealed that relational maintenance is crucial to family preservation, with parents relying on assurances, positivity, advice-giving, and social networks to maintain a sense of relational continuity and their own position of influence within the family. Parents faced barriers to enacting strategies of shared tasks, openness, and conflict management. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Journal

Journal of Applied Communication ResearchTaylor & Francis

Published: Jan 2, 2024

Keywords: Deportation; family separation; relational maintenance; family communication; Latinx/Hispanic/immigrant

There are no references for this article.