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Cited by 3Attachment and Relationship DynamicsFamily Dynamics and RelationshipsParental Involvement in Education

Daily Communication Between First-Year College Students and Their Parents: Associations With Perceived Relationship Positivity

Open access
Duckworth, Jennifer C., Bumpus, Matthew, Forsythe, Katherine M., Cooper, Brittany Rhoades, Hill, Laura G.·2024·Emerging Adulthood
DOI 10.1177/21676968241273308
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Abstract

First-year college students are at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and high-risk alcohol use relative to older students. Parents often provide support through communication. We examined several aspects of daily parent-student communication, including quantity, mode, initiation, and content (e.g., perceived support, parental advice, topics discussed), between 367 first-year parent-student dyads (across a 7-day period) and tested for differences by gender, first-generation status, and race-ethnicity. Multilevel models examined between- and within-person associations between communication variables and how the student felt about their relationship with their parent the following day. Results showed students communicated frequently with parents (74% of days) across a variety of modalities, especially via text message, with important demographic differences observed. Any and more communication, perceived support, student honesty, parental advice, and discussing friendships were associated with increased positive feelings about the parent-student relationship the following day at the within-person level. Implications for future research and programming are discussed.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This daily-diary study examined first-year college students’ communication with parents and next-day perceived relationship positivity. It found frequent communication, especially texting, and that any/more communication, perceived support, honesty, parental advice, and discussing friendships were linked to more positive next-day relationship feelings, while greater parental initiation was linked to less positive feelings.

Key findings

  • Students communicated with a parent on 73.81% of days, averaged 26.42 minutes (SD = 21.22) across 3.45 separate communications (SD = 2.81); text was most common (68.38% of days), followed by phone calls (45.94%).
  • Within-person, any communication (β = 0.09, p < .01), more minutes communicating (β = 0.01, p < .01), and more separate communications (β = 0.05, p < .01) were associated with increased positive feelings about the parent-student relationship the following day.
  • Perceived support (between-person β = 0.71, p < .01; within-person β = 0.38, p < .01) and student honesty (between-person β = 0.66, p < .01; within-person β = 0.17, p < .01) were positively associated with next-day relationship positivity; greater parental initiation was negatively associated (between-person β = −0.07, p = .04; within-person β = −0.05, p < .01).
  • Parental advice (β = 0.21, p = .02) and discussing studying/grades (β = 0.17, p = .04) were positively associated between persons; discussing friends/relationships (β = 0.07, p = .03) and discussing more topics than usual (β = 0.03, p = .02) were positively associated at the daily level. Mode of communication was not associated with next-day relationship positivity.

Methods

  • Daily-diary sub-study from a larger randomized controlled trial of a parent handbook intervention; analytic sample was 367 first-year undergraduates who completed at least one of seven daily surveys (2,054 days), with 46% female, 50% from racially-ethnically minoritized groups, and 30% first-generation college students.
  • Students reported daily communication with parents/guardians, including quantity, mode, initiation, perceived support, honesty, parental advice, and topics discussed; outcomes were next-day feelings about the relationship with parents.
  • Multilevel mixed-effects models in R’s `nlme` package decomposed communication variables into between-person and within-person components, controlling for gender, first-generation status, racially-ethnically minoritized group membership, intervention condition, baseline parental closeness, and Dad’s Weekend.

Limitations

  • The paper states that in-person communication rates were likely inflated by Dad’s Weekend; it did not assess whether students communicated with mother, father, or another caregiver; friends and romantic relationships were combined; most measures were developed by the team and were single items; data were self-report and subject to recall bias; the sample was from a single university and may not generalize; and some significant associations had very small effect sizes with limited practical significance.
  • The paper also notes the sample was not representative of the university in gender, first-generation status, or racially-ethnically minoritized group membership, though it was representative of cohort 2 of the trial.
  • The text makes evident that the study was not pre-registered and raw data/code/materials were not openly available, only available upon request.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1177/21676968241273308

Cites

68 of 68 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

26 tests recomputed · 0 with the reported and recomputed p on opposite sides of .05

Claims the paper makes

14 of 60 cited sources checked · 11 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Premisecitation

    Most prior work examining parent-student communication during college is comprised of cross-sectional studies examining quantity and/or mode of parent-student communication.

    “Most prior work examining parent-student communication during college is comprised of cross-sectional studies examining quantity and/or mode of parent-student communication (e.g., Wolf et al., 2009;Stein et al., 2016).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Wolf et al., 2009 source
    • cites Stein et al., 2016 source
  • Premisecitation

    Most college students communicate frequently with their parents.

    “Most college students communicate frequently with their parents (e.g., Small et al., 2011;Stein et al., 2016) and parent-student contact is positively related to relationship quality (Lowe & Dotterer, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Small et al., 2011 source
    • cites Stein et al., 2016 source
  • Interpretationcitation

    Feelings of bonding and support may in turn promote important developmental needs for the college student, such as the development of increased autonomy, competence, and confidence.

    “These feelings of bonding and support may in-turn promote important developmental needs for the college student such as the development of increased autonomy, competence, and confidence (Arnett, 2000;Hill et al., 2023).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Arnett, 2000 source
    • cites Hill et al., 2023 source

      The Introduction (page unavailable) describes parental bonding and support as important to students’ growing autonomy. The “Letting Go and Staying Connected” section (page unavailable) also links clear expectations to increased competence, but our copy does not address increased confidence or specifically link bonding to competence. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Interpretationown data

    The study's findings on mode of communication contrast with research studies conducted in the 2010s.

    “Findings related to mode of communication are in contrast to research studies conducted in the 2010's (e.g., Sax & Weintraub, 2014;Stein et al., 2016).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Sax & Weintraub, 2014 source
    • cites Stein et al., 2016 source
  • Findingown data

    More parent-student communication was associated with increased positive feelings about the parent-student relationship the following day at the within-person level.

    “Any and more communication, perceived support, student honesty, parental advice, and discussing friendships were associated with increased positive feelings about the parent-student relationship the following day at the within-person level.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The daily-level communication measures developed by the study team are valid measures of parent-student communication.
    • Rests on an assumption: Students' daily self-reports accurately reflect their communication with parents and their feelings about the relationship.
    • Rests on an assumption: The 7-day daily survey period is representative of typical parent-student communication and relationship feelings.
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 63
  • May combine two claims. 13
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 7

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Differences in parent-student communication during college by racial and ethnic identity have been documented.

    “Differences in parent-student communication during college by racial and ethnic identity have also been documented (e.g., Harper et al., 2012;Wolf et al., 2009).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Harper et al., 2012 source
    • cites Wolf et al., 2009 source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Multilevel models are highly flexible in handling daily-level missing data.

    “Multilevel models are highly flexible in handling daily-level missing data (Kwok et al., 2008)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kwok et al., 2008 source

      The ‘Comparison of MLM with Repeated-Measures Univariate ANOVA’ section says MLM handles missing observations flexibly by incorporating all available data. The ‘Handling Missing Data’ section demonstrates this with four measurement occasions, but the paper does not specifically address daily-level data. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Findings from cross-sectional studies from the 2010s suggest that phone calls and texting were far more prevalent than other forms of communication among parents and college students.

    “Findings from cross-sectional studies from the 2010s suggest that phone calls and texting were far more prevalent than other forms of communication among parents and college students (Abar et al., 2012;Sax & Weintraub, 2014;Stein et al., 2016).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Abar et al., 2012 source
    • cites Sax & Weintraub, 2014 source
    • cites Stein et al., 2016 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Female college students tend to communicate more frequently with parents than male students.

    “For instance, female college students tend to communicate more frequently with parents than male students (Small et al., 2011;Wolf et al., 2009), and are more likely to initiate communication (Pedersen & Feroni, 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim2 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Small et al., 2011 source
    • cites Wolf et al., 2009 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Daily-level findings can inform personalized interventions which are often effective as they can directly address specific challenges and behaviors of each participant.

    “For instance, daily-level findings can inform personalized interventions which are often effective as they can directly address specific challenges and behaviors of each participant (Dotson et al., 2015;Riper et al., 2009).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Dotson et al., 2015 source

      The Introduction (page not specified) describes feedback individualized to students’ reported drinking behavior, and the Discussion (page not specified) finds that personalized normative feedback modestly reduces drinking among college students. The paper does not show that daily-level findings inform interventions or that effectiveness comes from addressing each participant’s specific challenges; its evidence concerns drinking norms and behavior. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites Riper et al., 2009 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Sax and Weintraub (2014) found that phone calls were the most common form of student-parent communication, followed by text messaging and then email.

    “Sax and Weintraub (2014) found phone calls were the most common form of student-parent communication, followed by text messaging and then email”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Sax & Weintraub, 2014 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The transition to college can be a challenging and exciting time involving academic, social, and financial changes.

    “The transition to college can be a challenging and exciting time involving academic, social, and financial changes (Leary & DeRosier, 2012).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Leary & DeRosier, 2012 source

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In a recent trial, parents participating in the MyTeen intervention reported higher levels of parental competence relative to the control group, as well as more parent-adolescent communication and less parental distress.

    “In a recent trial, parents participating in the MyTeen intervention reported higher levels of parental competence relative to the control group, as well as more parent-adolescent communication and less parental distress.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Chu et al., 2019 source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    MyTeen is a text messaging intervention targeting parents of adolescents that provides parenting tips via text messages, as well as evidence-based resources.

    “MyTeen is text messaging intervention targeting parents of adolescents that provides parenting tips via text messages (e.g., how to develop and maintain high-quality parent-child relationships; how to recognize symptoms of depression), as well as evidence-based resources (Chu et al., 2019).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Chu et al., 2019 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Phone calls were the second most common mode of communication, occurring on 45.94% of days.

    “Text was the most common mode of communication (68.38% of days), followed by phone calls (45.94% of days).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingnone given

    Daily communication between first-year college students and their parents was initiated by both parents and students.

    “Daily communication was initiated by both parents and students.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    At the daily level, discussing more topics was associated with increased positive feelings about the student's relationship with their parent the following day (β = 0.03; p = .02), controlling for minutes spent communicating and relevant covariates.

    “At the daily-level, discussing more topics was associated with increased positive feelings about the student's relationship with their parent the following day (β = 0.03; p = .02).”
    • Also stated in: § Aim 2b: Associations between Communication Variables and how the Student Felt about their Relationship with their Parent the Following Day, Controlling for Duration of Communication · plain
      “That is, discussing more topics than usual was associated with increased positive feelings about their relationship with their parent the following day.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    Mode of communication was not associated with how the student felt about their relationship with their parent the following day, controlling for minutes spent communicating and relevant covariates.

    “Mode of communication was not associated with how the student felt about their relationship with their parent the following day.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    First-generation college students reported lower levels of honesty in their daily communication with parents than continuing-generation students.

    “Demographic differences were observed such that first-generation students reported lower levels of honesty and feelings”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Snapchat was the mode of communication in 7.7% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Snapchat | | 7.7% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The mean student honesty in communication was 4.31 (SD=0.69) on a 1-5 scale across 1505 daily observations.

    “| Student honesty in communication d,f | 1505 4.31 (0.69) |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    26.97% of the 2054 daily observations were on Dad's weekend.

    “| Dad's weekend | 2054 | 26.97% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Sex was a topic discussed in 0.03% of the 1494 communications.

    “| Sex e | | 0.03% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    The mean initiation score was 2.98 (SD=1.02) on a 1-5 scale where 1 = student initiated all communication and 5 = parent initiated all communication, across 1509 daily observations.

    “| Initiation b | 1509 2.98 (1.02) |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    First-generation status was negatively associated with student perceived relationship positivity in the any communication model.

    “First-generation | À0.14 (0.06) | .034 | À0.11 (0.06) | .073 | À0.11 (0.06) | .074”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Time management was a topic discussed in 16.47% of the 1494 communications.

    “| Time management b | | 16.47% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    69.75% of the 367 student participants were in the intervention condition.

    “| Intervention | 367 | 69.75% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The mean perceived support was 4.22 (SD=0.76) on a 1-5 scale across 1505 daily observations.

    “| Perceived support f | 1505 4.22 (0.76) |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    45.78% of the 367 student participants were female.

    “| Female | 367 | 45.78% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Text was the mode of communication in 68.38% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Text ad | | 68.38% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Social media was the mode of communication in 10.56% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Social media | | 10.56% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    49.86% of the 367 student participants were members of a racial-ethnic minority group.

    “| Member of racial-ethnic minority group | 367 | 49.86% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Friends/relationships was a topic discussed in 36.21% of the 1494 communications.

    “| Friends/relationships a | | 36.21% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    In-person was the mode of communication in 19.93% of the 1515 communications.

    “| In-person b,d,f | | 19.93% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Instagram was the mode of communication in 1.5% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Instagram | | 1.5% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The mean total minutes spent communicating per day was 26.42 (SD=21.24) across 1509 daily observations.

    “| Total minutes spent communicating | 1509 | 26.42 |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Twitter was the mode of communication in 0.1% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Twitter | | 0.1% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Studying or grades was a topic discussed in 47.66% of the 1494 communications.

    “| Studying or grades d | | 47.66% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    29.97% of the 367 student participants were first-generation college students.

    “| First-generation college student | 367 | 29.97% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Phone call was the mode of communication in 45.94% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Phone call a,c | | 45.94% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    Dad's weekend was positively associated with student perceived relationship positivity in the any communication model.

    “Dad's weekend | 0.12 (0.02) | <.001 | 0.00 (0.03) | .891 | 0.02 (0.03) | <.437”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Student health was a topic discussed in 41.16% of the 1494 communications.

    “| Student health a | | 41.16% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Email was the mode of communication in 0.02% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Email | | 0.02% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    FaceTime or video chat was the mode of communication in 17.36% of the 1515 communications.

    “| FaceTime or video chat a,c | | 17.36% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    Facebook was the mode of communication in 2.7% of the 1515 communications.

    “| Facebook | | 2.7% |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    The mean parental closeness measured at baseline was 4.25 (SD=0.73) on a 1-5 scale for the 367 student participants.

    “| Parental closeness (measured at baseline) d,f | 367 4.25 (0.73) | |”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Greater parental involvement is associated with positive adjustment for new college students.

    “In a review of parental involvement during the transition to college, Lowe and Dotterer (2018) found that parental involvement is a multidimensional construct that includes parental support, parent-student contact, and parental academic engagement, and that greater parental involvement was associated with positive adjustment for new college students.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Lowe & Dotterer, 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Premisereasoning

    The first year of college may be a particularly pivotal time to understand parent-student communication as family members navigate a new reality of communicating from a distance.

    “The first year of college may be a particularly pivotal time to understand parent-student communication as family members navigate a new reality of communicating from a distance.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    First-year college students are at increased risk for stress, anxiety, depression, and high-risk alcohol use relative to older college students.

    “As such, it is not surprising first-year college students are at increased risk for stress, anxiety, depression, (Bayram & Bilgel, 2008) and high-risk alcohol use (Borsari et al., 2007) relative to older college students.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Bayram & Bilgel, 2008 source
    • cites Borsari et al., 2007 source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Parent-student communication is a key mechanism by which parents can have a positive influence during emerging adulthood and maintain high-quality relationships with their college student.

    “Parent-student communication is generally understood as a key mechanism by which parents can have a positive influence during emerging adulthood and maintain high-quality relationships with their college student (Lowe & Dotterer, 2018), and positive links between parent-student communication and relationship quality are well documented (Cui et al., 2022;Gentzler et al., 2011;Harper et al., 2012;St”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Lowe & Dotterer, 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    First-generation students reported that conversations about college were less helpful and of lower quality than continuing-generation students.

    “While no differences between firstand continuing-generation students were observed in how frequently students and parents communicated about college, first-generation students reported that these conversations were less helpful and of lower quality than continuing-generation students.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Palbusa & Gauvain, 2017 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Missing data was accounted for using the robust maximum likelihood estimator (MLE).

    “missing data was accounted for using the robust maximum likelihood estimator (MLE).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    The sample was not representative of the university in terms of gender, first-generation college status, or membership in a racially-ethnically minoritized group.

    “Our sample was not representative of the university in terms of gender, first-generation college status, or membership in a racially-ethnically minoritized group (i.e., our sample had a greater proportion of male students and students who are members of racially-ethically minoritized groups and a smaller proportion of first-generation college students).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductown data

    Neither predictor nor outcome variables were significantly associated with the intervention condition.

    “Neither predictor or outcome variables were significantly associated with the intervention condition, so participants in both the intervention and control conditions were included in the present analyses and intervention condition was included as a covariate.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductcitation

    For non-binary communication variables, variables were person-mean centered to examine daily deviations from the participant's average level of the communication variable.

    “For non-binary communication variables (i.e., duration of communication, number of separate communications, initiation, student honesty, perceived support, and number of topics discussed), variables were person-mean centered to examine daily deviations from the participants average level of the communication variable (Enders & Tofighi, 2007).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Enders & Tofighi, 2007 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    First-generation college students experience diminished achievement in college compared to their peers whose parents are college graduates.

    “First-generation college students (i.e., students whose parents did not complete college; Engle, 2007) experience diminished achievement in college and are less likely to persist to graduation compared to their peers whose parents are college graduates (Soria & Stebleton, 2012;Toutkoushian et al., 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Soria & Stebleton, 2012 source
    • cites Toutkoushian et al., 2021

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Communication variables were decomposed into a time-fixed between-person variable and a time-varying within-person (daily level) variable to disentangle between- and within-person effects.

    “To disentangle between-and within-person effects, communication variables were decomposed into a time-fixed between-person variable and a time-varying within-person (i.e., daily level) variable.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Study design and conductnone given

    The sample was representative of cohort 2 of the trial.

    “However, our sample was representative of cohort 2 of the trial.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Mexican American, Latino, Japanese/Japanese American, and American Indian/Alaska Native students reported greater-than-average levels of parental communication.

    “Findings revealed that Mexican American, Latino, Japanese/ Japanese American, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, reported greater-than average levels of parental communication, but lower-than-average levels of parental academic involvement.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Wolfe and colleagues (2009)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    First-generation college students are less likely to persist to graduation compared to their peers whose parents are college graduates.

    “First-generation college students (i.e., students whose parents did not complete college; Engle, 2007) experience diminished achievement in college and are less likely to persist to graduation compared to their peers whose parents are college graduates (Soria & Stebleton, 2012;Toutkoushian et al., 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Soria & Stebleton, 2012 source
    • cites Toutkoushian et al., 2021

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductnone given

    All models included time-fixed covariates for gender, first-generation college status, membership in a racially-ethnically minoritized group, experimental condition, baseline parental closeness, and whether the reference day was a part of Dad's Weekend at the university.

    “All models included time-fixed covariates for gender (0 = male; 1 = female), first-generation college status, membership in a racially-ethnically minoritized group, experimental condition (vs.control), baseline parental closeness, and whether the reference day was a part of Dad's Weekend at the university.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    An error in the survey distribution system on Day 1 resulted in 97 participants not receiving that daily survey.

    “An error in the survey distribution system on Day 1 of the distribution period resulted in 97 participants not receiving that daily survey, however those students were asked about Day 1 and Day 2 on Day 2 of the survey.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    MLE utilizes all data and provides unbiased estimates in the presence of missing data, assuming missing data are missing at random.

    “MLE utilizes all data and, assuming missing data are missing at random, provides unbiased estimates in the presence of missing data (Atkins, 2005).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Atkins, 2005 source
    • The authors state this as an assumption: Missing data are missing at random.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Limited research suggests that first-generation college students may self-disclose less about college experiences to their parents than continuing-generation students.

    “limited research suggests first-generation students may selfdisclose less about college experiences to their parents (Barry et al., 2009)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Barry et al., 2009

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    The first semester of college is characterized by numerous transitions and stressors for new college students.

    “Given that the first semester of college is characterized by numerous transitions and stressors for new college students (Settersten et al., 2019)”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Settersten et al., 2019

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    The lower rates of in-person communication among first-generation and racially-ethnically minoritized students are likely due at least partially to Dad's Weekend occurring during the data collection period and may reflect lower connection to university programming and/or less opportunity to travel to campus among these families.

    “This is likely due at least partially to Dad's Weekend (i.e., a university-sponsored event where fathers of college students are given the opportunity to visit campus and engage in campus-led programming) occurring during the data collection period”
    • Also stated in: § Discussion · hedged
      “may reflect lower levels of connection to university programming and/or less opportunity to travel to campus among families of first-generation college students (Wilbur & Roscigno, 2016) and racially-ethnically minoritized groups (e.g., Desimone, 1999).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Wilbur & Roscigno, 2016 source
    • cites Desimone, 1999 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    African American adolescents reported lower levels of self-disclosure to parents than White adolescents.

    “Bumpus and Rodgers (2009) examined differences in patterns of parental knowledge by family structure and race and found that African American adolescents reported lower levels of self-disclosure to parents than White adolescents”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Bumpus and Rodgers (2009) source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    No differences in parental self-disclosure were observed between Hispanic adolescents and non-Hispanic White adolescents.

    “In a separate study of adolescents, no differences in parental selfdisclosure were observed between Hispanic adolescents and non-Hispanic White adolescents (Fernandez et al., 2018).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Fernandez et al., 2018 source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    The negative association between parental initiation and positive feelings is consistent with recent findings suggesting that frequent parent-initiated contact may be indicative of hyper-involvement and could impede the development of student autonomy and independence.

    “consistent with recent findings suggesting that frequent parent-initiated contact may be indicative of hyper-involvement (Wieland & Kucirka, 2020) and could impede the development of student autonomy and independence, important developmental tasks for emerging adults (Arnett, 2000).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Wieland & Kucirka, 2020

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Arnett, 2000 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Understanding daily-level relationships is critical for prevention and intervention programming, as programming can be tailored to individual needs, patterns, and preferences.

    “Understanding daily-level relationships is critical for prevention and intervention programming, as programming can be tailored to individual needs, patterns, and preferences (Moeller, 2021).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Moeller, 2021

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Limited research suggests that first-generation college students find conversations with parents about college to be less helpful than continuing-generation students.

    “and find conversations with parents about college to be less helpful than continuing-generation students (Palbusa & Gauvain, 2017)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Palbusa & Gauvain, 2017 source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Regular communication is one way parents can provide support for their new college student.

    “Regular communication is one way parents can provide support for their new college student (Lowe & Dotterer, 2018).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Lowe & Dotterer, 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductcitation

    Not assessing whether the student was communicating with their mother, father, or another caregiver could have affected aspects of parent-student communication, including frequency and mode of contact and discussion of sensitive topics.

    “we did not assess whether the student was communicating with their mother, father, or another caregiver which could have affected aspects of parent-student communication, including frequency and mode of contact (McCurdy et al., 2022) and the discussion of sensitive topics such as sex (Scull et al., 2022).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites McCurdy et al., 2022 source
    • cites Scull et al., 2022

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    This study did not include a pre-registration plan for data collection or analysis.

    “This study did not include a pre-registration plan for data collection or analysis.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    High-quality parent-student relationships are linked with positive academic and health outcomes for college students.

    “Prior work indicates high-quality parent-student relationships are linked with positive academic and health outcomes for college students (Lowe & Dotterer, 2018)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Lowe & Dotterer, 2018

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Text messaging interventions are related to short-term changes in health behaviors.

    “text messaging interventions are related to short-term changes in health behaviors (Armanasco et al., 2017)”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Armanasco et al., 2017 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductreasoning

    The majority of measures were single items.

    “the majority of measures were single items”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning

    The findings reflect the complexity of parent-emerging adult relationships.

    “Findings also reflect the complexity of parent-emerging adult relationships.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Discussing one's personal life or discussing a greater number of topics salient for emerging adults may show students their parents are interested in their lives and increase how positively the student feels about their relationship with their parent.

    “Consistent with the social development model (Catalano et al., 1995), it may be that discussing one's personal life or discussing a greater number of topics salient for emerging adults show students their parents are interested in their lives and increases how positively the student feels about their relationship with their parent.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Catalano et al., 1995

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductreasoning

    The research team developed most of the measures assessed in this study.

    “the research team developed most of the measures assessed in this study”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Limited research examines daily-level parent communication among college students.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Study design and conductreasoning

    Students without a father in their life may have been less likely to have in-person communication with their parent during Dad's Weekend.

    “students without a father in their life may have been less likely to have in-person communication with their parent during this weekend”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    Friendships and romantic relationships were combined in the study.

    “these topics were combined in our study”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Discussing friendships and romantic relationships may bring different challenges to parent-student communication.
77 of 77

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The daily-level communication measures developed by the study team are valid measures of parent-student communication.

    “Given limited research examining dailylevel associations between parent-student communication and relationship quality among college students, daily-level communication measures were developed by the study team (Cooper et al., 2020).”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Students' daily self-reports accurately reflect their communication with parents and their feelings about the relationship.

    “Students were asked each day whether they communicated with a parent or guardian the previous day (0 = no, 1 = yes).”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 7-day daily survey period is representative of typical parent-student communication and relationship feelings.

    “Participants completed daily surveys over a period of time that included Halloween and the university's Dad's Weekend, which involved a home football game and other university-sponsored activities on campus that are well-attended by parents.”

  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Missing data are missing at random.

    “assuming missing data are missing at random”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Limited research examines daily-level parent communication among college students.

    “given limited research examining daily-level parent communication among college students”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Discussing friendships and romantic relationships may bring different challenges to parent-student communication.

    “although discussing friendships and romantic relationships may bring different challenges to parent-student communication”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Parent-student communication causally affects subsequent relationship quality, rather than being merely associated.

    “may positively impact parent-student relationship quality”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Text messaging interventions targeting parents of adolescents can be adapted to parents of new college students with similar benefits.

    “Taken together, text messaging interventions targeting parents of new college students that encourage frequent parent-student communication”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The study's sample of first-year college students is representative of new college students generally.

    “we found that new college students communicate frequently with their parents via text messaging.”
9 of 9

Statistics that don’t add up

Each reported p-value recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom.

  • Inconsistent p-value: t (882) = 2.22, p = .023

    Minor

    The paper reports p = .023 here; recomputing from the test statistic and its degrees of freedom gives p = .027 (two-tailed). The check cannot tell whether the statistic or the p-value is the misprint.

    Reported p = .023 · recomputed p = .027

1 of 1

Statistics recomputed

Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.

  • Doesn’t add upt(882) = 2.22reported p = .023 · recomputed p = .027

    “t (882) = 2.22, p = .023”

  • Consistentt(2010) = -5.64reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (2010) = À5.64,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1481) = -3.04reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .002

    “t (1481) = À3.04,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1513) = -2.3reported p = .022 · recomputed p = .022

    “t (1513) = À2.3,p = .022”

  • Consistentt(1283) = -8.35reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1283) = À8.35,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1489) = -2.92reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .004

    “t (1489) = À2.92,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1486) = 2.14reported p = .03 · recomputed p = .033

    “t (1486) = 2.14, p = .03”

  • Consistentt(1489) = 6.75reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1489) = 6.75, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1458) = -4.21reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1458) = À4.21,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1466) = -2.46reported p = .01 · recomputed p = .014

    “t (1466) = À2.46,p = .01”

  • Consistentt(1441) = 3.63reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1441) = 3.63, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1077) = 4.43reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1077) = 4.43, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1206) = 2.59reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .010

    “t (1206) = 2.59, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(706) = 4.54reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (706) = 4.54, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(744) = 3.91reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (744) = 3.91, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(559) = -3.12reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .002

    “t (559) = À3.12,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1920) = 4.08reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1920) = 4.08, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(2047) = -2.42reported p = .016 · recomputed p = .016

    “t (2047) = À2.42,p = .016”

  • Consistentt(1932) = 5.52reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1932) = 5.52, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1476) = 2.98reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .003

    “t (1476) = 2.98, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1465) = 4.17reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1465) = 4.17, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1371) = -5.77reported p < .01 · recomputed p < .001

    “t (1371) = À5.77,p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1488) = -2.54reported p = .01 · recomputed p = .011

    “t (1488) = À2.54,p = .01”

  • Consistentt(1477) = 2.76reported p < .01 · recomputed p = .006

    “t (1477) = 2.76, p < .01”

  • Consistentt(1469) = 2.26reported p = .02 · recomputed p = .024

    “t (1469) = 2.26, p = .02”

  • Consistentt(1453) = 2.57reported p = .01 · recomputed p = .010

    “t (1453) = 2.57, p = .01”

26 of 26

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Abstract assigns the parental-advice association to the wrong level

    Major

    The abstract says parental advice was associated with next-day relationship feelings at the within-person level. Table 4 and the results instead report a significant between-person association; its daily-level advice estimate is 0.03 (SE 0.03), with a reported p-value of <.333.

  • Daily-survey completion counts exceed the reported total

    Minor

    The listed numbers of participants completing 1 through 7 surveys imply 2,225 completed daily surveys, not the reported 2,054 days.

  • Reported range for number of topics excludes an allowed value

    Minor

    The measure is defined as ranging from 0 to 6 topics, but the note to Table 5 says its range is 1 to 6.

3 of 3

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Barry L. M., 2009, Adolescence, 44, 55
  2. Cremeens J. L., 2008, College Student Journal, 42, 152
  3. Engle J., 2007, American Academic, 3, 25
  4. Mehta S. S., 2011, College Student Journal, 45, 20
  5. Pedersen D. E., 2020, College Student Journal, 54, 117
  6. Pinheiro J. C., 2020, R package version, 3, 1
  7. Sarigiani P., 2013, Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 25, 35
  8. Steinberg L., 2002, Handbook of parenting: Vol. 3. Being and becoming a parent, 103
  9. Trager B. M., 2023, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 84, 823

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Duckworth, J. C., Bumpus, M., Forsythe, K. M., Cooper, B. R., & Hill, L. G.
Affiliations
  • Washington State University (US)
  • Innovia Foundation, Spokane, WA, USA
Corresponding author
Duckworth, Jennifer C.
ORCID
Venue
Emerging Adulthood
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2024-08-21
Volume
12
Issue
6
Pages
1010-1026
ISSN
  • 2167-6968 (ISSN-L)
  • 2167-6984
DOI
10.1177/21676968241273308
OpenAlex
W4401782406
Semantic Scholar
5634f3c1028de2b3ef04e1acf19d98387b0becae
Cited by
3
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 3
FWCI
1.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Emerging Adulthood (publishedVersion)
Funders
NIH NIDA (R01DA039247)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
  • Social Sciences › Education › Parental Involvement in Education
Keywords
student-parent communication, first-year college students, perceived parental support, parenting advice, text messaging, communication modes, communication initiation, student honesty, first-generation college students, gender differences, racial and ethnic differences

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-20.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-20.

Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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