Associate Professor Dr. Sylvia L. Mikucki-Enyart studies interpersonal and family communication. Her work examines how relational partners and families communicate (or don’t) when they experience uncertainty, or doubts, about their relationships during times of relational change (e.g., marriage, divorce).

Specifically, she explores (a) in-law communication and the impact it has on marriages and parent-adult child relationships, (b) how adult children communicate following late-life parental divorce and remarriage, and (c) how emerging adult’s discuss sexual pleasure and desire.

She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on family and interpersonal communication, uncertainty management, and sexual communication.

She is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Family Communication. She often serves as a relationship expert and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Real Simple magazine, and she’s been a repeat guest on Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio. She also writes a blog for Psychology Today entitled Communicating through Change: Using Communication to Navigate Life Transitions.

She also provides evidence-based advice on Instagram @dr.sylviamikuckienyart.