Browsing by Author "Chen, Muzi"

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    Evaluate the Association between Disclosure and Child Adjustment within Family Communication Climate
    (2015-05) Chen, Muzi
    BACKGROUND: With the increasing use of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) in conception, telling children how they were conceived becomes an important issue. Grounded in the Family Communication Patterns Theory (FCPT), this study examined the moderating effect of family communication climate on the association between disclosure and child adjustment problems. METHODS: Participants were 84 6- to 12-year-old children conceived using MAR with the intended parents' own gametes or gametes provided by a donor. Parents self-reported if children knew about their conception method and child adjustment problems through an online survey. Family communication climate was determined by observed family communication behavior of parents and children. RESULTS: Multiple regression models supported the hypothesized moderating effect of family communication climate on the association between disclosure and child adjustment problems. The statistically significant negative interaction suggested, in families with an open communication climate, disclosure tended to be associated with fewer child adjustment problems. In families with a closed communication climate, disclosure was associated with more child adjustment problems. CONCLUSIONS: While limited by a small sample size of disclosed children and a cross-sectional design, this study's findings provide preliminary but sound demonstration of the potentially important role of family communication climate. Rethinking the outcomes of disclosure through the lens of family communication climate is needed.
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    Understanding Adjustment of Adolescents Conceived Using Medically Assisted Reproduction within Family Contexts
    (2019-05) Chen, Muzi
    Adolescents conceived using medically assisted reproduction (MAR), as a continually growing population in the U.S., may be at risk for adjustment problems due to three challenging parenting tasks faced by their families. These challenges include a high likelihood of parental pregnancy loss, raising twins, and whether and when parents should tell children about being conceived using MAR. This dissertation investigated psychosocial adjustment of MAR-conceived adolescents in relation to these parenting challenges within family contexts in two studies. Study 1 tested a moderated mediation model that proposes a possible family process through which a pile-up stressors of pregnancy loss and twin status indirectly influence adolescent psychosocial adjustment in a sample of 278 adolescents from 193 families. Results suggest pregnancy loss has long-lasting, differential effects on parental emotions at middle childhood when parenting twins versus singletons, which relates to subsequent adolescent adjustment. Study 2 examined adolescent psychosocial adjustment following the MAR information sharing within family communication environments using multiple group analysis in a sample of 163 adolescents from 115 families. Results indicate a complex picture that family communication environments interplay with the timing of MAR information sharing to influence adolescent psychosocial adjustment. These studies suggest a critical role of family contextual factors in shaping MAR-conceived adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment.