Books

I am writing a new book with the working title, Polyphonic Resistance:  Blogging Motherhood and Autism. The book is based on textual analysis and ethnographic study of “mommy blogs” authored by mothers of autistic children.  The book will speak to contemporary discussions about cultural expectations of motherhood, competing understandings of autism as deficit or as neurodiversity, and debates about whether and how new media foster political engagement.

Goldsmith, D. J. (2004). Communicating social support. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

We often turn to our friends, family, spouses, and partners for help in coping with daily stress or major crises. Daena Goldsmith provides a communication-based approach for understanding why some conversations about problems are more helpful than others. In contrast to other research on the social support processes, Goldsmith focuses on interpersonal communication–what people say and how they say it, as well as their reactions to the conversations. Her studies cover adults of all ages and various kinds of stresses, ranging from everyday hassles to serious illnesses and other major crises.

Brashers, D. E., & Goldsmith, D. J. (2009).  Managing health and illness: Communication, relationships, and identity.  New York: Routledge.

This scholarly edited volume advances the theoretical bases of health communication in two key areas: 1) communication, identity, and relationships; and 2) health care provider patient interaction. Chapters underscore the theory that communication processes are a link between personal, social, cultural, and institutional factors and various facets of health and illness. Contributors to the work are respected scholars from the fields of communication, public health, medicine nursing, psychology, and other areas, and focus on ways in which patient identity is communicated in health-related interactions.