The Consequences of Poor Family Communication

To know how to improve communication in your family, you must first find out what things are getting in the way. Today, we'll talk about the consequences of poor family communication.
The Consequences of Poor Family Communication

Last update: 07 September, 2021

Poor communication always has its consequences. This applies to any area of life, but in the family, it can be especially dangerous. Good family communication is essential to help children understand their emotions and those of others. It also teaches them to think before they speak.

If we fail to take this into account, children may develop difficulties in their communication skills, negatively affecting the way they relate to others.

Through proper communication, all family members will be able to meet their own needs and those of others. When this doesn’t exist, there will only be conflicts and negative feelings will arise.

A lack of dialogue and a lack of understanding on the part of their parents will cause children to feel emotionally abandoned. Thanks to communication, it’s possible to transmit values, and this is something very valuable.

Communication can take place in many ways, either through words or nonverbally. Both are important and must be present to ensure an exchange between family members.

Why does poor family communication take place?

Poor communication can occur for different reasons. Some are more common than others, but all of them have a negative influence. It’s essential that we reflect on each of them, in order to detect them and stop them as soon as possible.

Children learn to develop their communication skills within the family. If parents aren’t a good example, then their children won’t be able to achieve a good performance in this aspect.

Family communication is something we need to work on on a day-to-day basis, in daily conversations and in conflicts that arise as they arise.

It’s important not to forget to maintain assertiveness and respect during tense situations. This way, children will be able to mold good behavior within their communication.

A husband and wife arguing in front of their daughter.

The following are some of the issues that contribute to poor family communication:

A bad home environment

Bad communication usually occurs when the home environment isn’t harmonious and the connection between family members is absent.

These factors, in addition to causing communication problems, can also produce resentment among family members.

Individualism

When everyone in the home does their own thing, regardless of what others do, individualism becomes the norm.

This terrible absence of emotional bonding, unfortunately, kills communication between everyone.

Lack of time

When family time isn’t prioritized, it also puts a limit on communication in the home.

Eating while watching TV, looking at our cell phones instead of playing with our children, and other similar attitudes interfere in the communication circuit. These are habits that should be changed as soon as possible.

Lack of patience

Irritation, stress, and anxiety reduce patience. This causes parents not to focus on the importance of dialogue in teaching and simply want to end the tense situation quickly.

Failure to take heed of this mistake could generate serious emotional damage in their children.

The consequences of poor communication

The negative aspects of poor family communication are obvious and we need to be aware of them in order to understand the seriousness of not encouraging proper dialogue at home.

By way of summary, we’ll list the emotional consequences for children when we maintain this negative habit at home:

  • The development of null emotional bonds between family members
  • The feeling of emotional abandonment
  • Individualism that breaks the union
  • Selfishness
  • Tyrannical behaviors and bad behavior
  • Family isolation
  • Mistrust among family members

How to improve family communication

A mother sitting on the couch talking face-to-face with her young daughter.

It’s essential that you keep in mind certain keys to improving communication in your family. Don’t forget to keep the following tips in mind:

  • Don’t judge, criticize, or humiliate your children. This will break the dialogue between you.
  • Listen to your children with all your senses, even if you think what they have to say is unimportant.
  • Show your children that you care about everything they say so that they’ll always tell you instead of pushing you away.
  • Never impose things on your children.
  • Offer tools to help them solve their problems, but don’t solve everything for them.
  • Always speak with a vocabulary your children can understand.
  • Be natural when talking about any subject and if you don’t know something, don’t make up the answers, be honest with them.
  • Become a good example of communication so that your children become good communicators.

In short, to improve family communication at home, it’s essential that you listen to and respect one another.

Make the decision to be your children’s guide not only in communication skills but also in life in general. They learn everything from you so don’t let them down.

 


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • B. Rosenberg, M., Seid Llamas, A. (2019) Comunicación no Violenta: Un Lenguaje de vida. Editorial: Independiente

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.