ABSTRACT
Communication patterns are a reflection of relationship dynamics, and changes in intrafamilial relationships are a central dynamic in the divorce process. Communication per se has not been a primary focus in divorce research, although certain aspects of communication, such as parental conflict, have been intensively studied mostly for their impact on offspring adjustment. In examining the literature with communication as the lens, the yield can be narrow if only those variables that are directly related to expression of communication, such as degree of conflict, quality of affect, and frequency of interaction, are considered. The yield is considerably higher if variables that are more broadly reflective of relationship dynamics are included, as we did for this chapter. Most divorce research has as its aim the elucidation of how parental divorce and its host of related factors affect the adjustment of offspring in the short and, more recently, in the long term. For the purpose of this endeavor, we shift the focus to highlighting changes in communication patterns and relevant relationship dynamics as families go through the divorce process and include the association with outcomes only secondarily.
