Anger and resentment can trigger discord.

Do your parents still tell you what to do, although you're 30 years old and married? Do your in-laws ask nosy questions about how much of your income you save and spend? Does your daughter seem to resent your advice on the way she's rising her children? Do your married children not attend church as regularly as you would like?

These "hot potato" topics often provoke hurt feelings, resentment, and sometimes anger between the younger and older generations. They can pose serious problems in relationships, but many families are finding ways to get around, or simply avoid, the sensitive areas, according to a study by two communication faculty members at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ethel Glenn, a professor emeritus, and Cathey Ross, an assistant professor, focused on young married adults with small children and on parents of the married couples. The aim was to determine how the younger and older generations are working to communicate with each other and keep family relationships on an even keel.

Strategies mentioned by the study's subjects include the following:

* Vagueness or concealment. Issues like church attendance, drinking, and finances often are kept from parents or discussed in vague terms.

* Keeping quiet. Many of the young adults and...