Psycological Adaptation of Children in Remarried Families

Abstract

The aim of the article is to study the child-parent relationship, the peculiarities of the state of socio-psychological adaptation of children of different ages in remarried families. The following methods were used in the study: author's questionnaire "Family of remarriage" (Matsenko, 2015), projective technique "Family Drawing" by A. Wenger (2003); questionnaire "Analysis of family relationships" by E. Eidemiller, V. Justickis (2001); questionnaire " Social Adaptability" by A. Furman (2000); method of diagnosis of socio-psychological adaptation of K. Rogers and R. Dymond (Lemak & Petrishche, 2012). According to the typology of remarriages according to T. Argentova and V. Kolotylina, there are two important conditions: 1) whether or not there are children from previous marriages; 2) whether or not there are children in a new family. The results of the research showed statistically significant differences in the child's perception of her new remarried family depending on its type. In type 1 families, the child's relationship with the new family member is formed favorably. It has been proven that having a child together in a remarried family significantly changes the family situation. Children raised in type 3 families, where the new husband did not have children of his own, but had a child together, in contrast to children from type 4 families, develop a much better relationship with the stepfather. There is a deterioration in the attitude to the stepson in connection with the spouses having children together in a new marriage. The conclusions establish the specifics of parent-child relationships in remarried families. The specifics of parent-child relationships in remarried families depend to a large extent on the age of the child, on whether the stepfather or mother has children from previous relationships, and on whether children are born into the new marriage.