As noted earlier, most effects of disruptive family events are believed to be indirect, operating via other factors such as poor quality of social relationships or ineffective parenting (Hill et al., 2001). According to the social control theory, family disruptions weaken parental supervision and impact upon adolescents’ conformity to socially accepted norms, such as engaging in socially undesirable behaviors (ibid.). Poor socialization, in the form of less effective parent–child communication patterns (which characterize the socio- oriented family communication structure, placing greater value on the demands and expectations of others rather than on their own) (Moschis, 1985), is expected to be related to the number of family disruptions. Conversely, more effective family communication patterns (such as those that character- ize the concept-oriented family communication structure where self-direction is prioritized) are expected to be fostered in families where disruptive family events are less common