Ariana Reneau is interested in examining the effect of adolescent exposure to violence and verbal aggression on attachment styles, communication maintenance, and satisfaction in adult romantic relationships.
Ariana is an M.A./Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests aim to explore how dark communication, particularly exposure to violence, verbal aggression, parental separation, or generational trauma, shapes family dynamics and relational health across the lifespan. She is especially interested in how adolescents growing up in high-stress households within Black and Latine/Hispanic communities carry these experiences into adulthood, influencing their attachment styles, communication maintenance behaviors, and satisfaction in romantic relationships. She aims to create scholarship that deepens academic understanding and informs practical solutions for improving communication in high-risk households.
B.A. (2023), California State University, Channel Islands, Communication (Organizational Communication emphasis)
M.A. (2025), California State University, Northridge, Communication Studies