As information about the public health risks surrounding COVID-19 continues to shift over time, families communicate to navigate this ongoing uncertainty. For example, families must interpret inconsistent media and public health messages about COVID-19, which may in turn have implications for health risk behavior. Adding to this complexity, household structures and routines are adapting in response to COVID-19. Adult family members in some families may suddenly experience extreme physical proximity, while others must coordinate to make decisions about their health and prevention behaviors while maintaining physical distance. Furthermore, members of these families must balance relational maintenance while communicating to assess and avoid health risks. The ongoing ambiguity of information about COVID-19 means that these relational processes must be managed in the midst of chronic uncertainty. The current study uses semistructured interviews and interpretive analysis to understand how adult children (aged 23-51 years) manage chronic uncertainty about COVID-19 in communication with their parents. Findings explore themes of navigating information about COVID-19 risks and protections, managing uncertainty management about media and political messages, and accepting time-related uncertainties.

随着有关 COVID-19 的公共卫生风险的信息不断变化，家庭需要通过沟通来应对这种持续的不确定性。例如，家庭必须解读有关 COVID-19 的不一致的媒体和公共卫生信息，这反过来可能会对健康风险行为产生影响。为了应对新冠肺炎 (COVID-19)，家庭结构和日常生活方式正在发生调整，这让情况更加复杂。一些家庭中的成年家庭成员可能会突然经历极端的身体接触，而其他家庭成员则必须在保持身体距离的同时协调做出有关其健康和预防行为的决定。此外，这些家庭成员必须在沟通的同时平衡关系维护，以评估和避免健康风险。有关 COVID-19 的信息持续存在模糊性，这意味着这些关系过程必须在长期的不确定性中进行管理。目前的研究使用半结构化访谈和解释性分析来了解成年儿童（23-51 岁）如何在与父母的沟通中应对有关 COVID-19 的长期不确定性。调查结果探讨了有关 COVID-19 风险和保护的信息导航、管理媒体和政治信息的不确定性管理以及接受与时间相关的不确定性等主题。