Communicative predictors of solidarity in the grandparent-grandchild relationship

This research examined college students' and their grandparents' (N = 135 d yads) self-reports of communication behaviors in the grandparent-grandchild (GP-GC) relationship. The research aimed to understand predictors of commu nication satisfaction, liking, and emotional closeness in the relationship from a basis in communication accommodation theory. For grandchildren, pred ictors included their perceptions of their grandparents' levels of accommod ation and overaccommodation to them in interactions, as well as their own l evels of accommodative involvement with their grandparents. For grandparent s, perceptions of their grandchildren's accommodation to them best predicte d solidarity. Neither perceived grandchild overaccommodation nor perceived grandparent underaccommodation were significant predictors in regression an alyses, although both were significantly correlated with the criterion meas ures. Implications of the results for the study of the GP-GC relationship a re discussed, and future applications of accommodation theory and intergrou p contact theory are suggested.