Abstract
This study examines the effect of the previous marriage on remarried couples within the context of a blended family. Fifteen couples in stepfamilies married from 1 to 38 years were interviewed. Qualitative analysis, using constructivist grounded theory, revealed four significant themes: (a) Most couples exhibited caution when considering marrying their spouse. (b) Differing loyalties caused stepparents to feel their needs came last and the biological parents to feel caught in the middle. (c) Antagonism toward the ex-spouse brought couples together but also resulted in their feeling powerless and frustrated. (d) Role confusion created frustration for the stepparents and guilt for their spouses. Self-psychology was the theory used to analyze the results, and implications for treatment are discussed.
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