Self-Disclosure Patterns of Mennonite Adolescents to Parents and Their Perceived Relationships

Abstract

Mennonite parents consistently express concern to ministers and counselors about a lack of close relationships with their adolescent children, judging from a decrease in personal discussions. However, 159 Mennonite adolescents in 3 schools self-disclosed like other observed adolescents insofar as selected topics were discussed by them with their mothers, fathers, and best friends. Although amount of self-disclosure to these target persons did relate positively to the concurrent perceived relationships with them, perceived relationships with parents were positive even though self-disclosure was less to parents than to best friend, and perceived relationships and self-disclosures were qualitatively different to mothers and fathers.