Relationships In Stepfamilies Research Articles

The quality of the stepfather–child relationship in sole and joint physical custody

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines whether the quality of the stepfather–child relationship differs among sole physical custody (SPC) and joint physical custody (JPC) families and compares the association between the father–child and the stepfather–child relationship across the two physical custody arrangements.BackgroundAn increasing number of families opt for JPC after separation or divorce. Because children in JPC families spend more time with their biological father than children in mother SPC families, the question arises whether JPC affects the quality of the stepfather–child relationship.MethodWe investigated 279 SPC and 182 JPC stepfather families with children aged 1 to 14 from the Family Models in Germany study. Ordinary least squares regression models and interaction effects were estimated.ResultsThe quality of the stepfather–child relationship was generally high in both SPC and JPC families and did not differ between the two arrangements. The father–child relationship was positively, albeit weakly, associated with the stepfather–child relationship in both arrangements, indicating spillover effects.ConclusionJPC does not affect the quality of the stepfather–child relationship.ImplicationsThis study does not provide any evidence that JPC is an ill‐suited physical custody arrangement when considering the quality of relationships in stepfamilies.

Adolescents' experiences with ambiguity in postdivorce stepfamilies

AbstractObjectiveInvestigating what contributes to perceptions of ambiguity in stepfamily relationships among adolescents, and which strategies adolescents use to deal with ambiguity.BackgroundRelational losses or acquisitions marked by ambiguity (i.e., ambiguous losses and gains) are taxing as they often evade resolution. The frequent assumption that family relationships in postdivorce stepfamilies are per se ambiguous has only received limited empirical foundation. Little is known about how adolescents experience ambiguity, how and why ambiguity emerges, and what strategies adolescents develop to deal with ambiguity.MethodSemi‐structured interviews with 30 Dutch adolescents (aged 16–20) living in diverse postdivorce stepfamilies were conducted. The data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding.ResultsRelationships with stepparents, stepsiblings, and biological parents were especially likely to be experienced as ambiguous. Two key categories of reasons emerged that helped to explain the emergence of ambiguity: information (i.e., incomplete or contradictory knowledge about family relationships), and relationality (i.e., the ways in which family relationships were assessed and compared to each other). Results point towards potential chains of ambiguity in stepfamilies, and show that respondents compared their relations with constructed archetypes of stepparents. Respondents used three strategies to deal with ambiguity: (a) improving relationships, (b) accepting ambiguity, and (c) creating distance.ConclusionAmbiguity was common in postdivorce stepfamilies, yet mostly confined to relationships between adolescents and stepparents, stepsiblings, and biological parents. This suggests that, in stepfamilies, ambiguous gain might occur more frequently than ambiguous loss. The negative feelings associated with ambiguity might explain why many adolescents perceive living in stepfamilies as burdensome.

Interdependency of relationships in stepfamilies – Variation across residence arrangements

This study investigates how the quality of family relationships and children’s residence arrangements are associated with stepparent-child relationship quality. Prior literature has studied these factors separately, with the role of family relationships often studied only among stepfamilies with co-resident children. Little is known about how the relevance of family relationships varies depending on where children reside. The opportunity structure (e.g., contact frequency) within which various family relationships influence each other can differ across residence arrangements. This study, therefore, investigates the roles of multiple family relationships across children’s various residence arrangements - including the more contemporary arrangement of shared residence. Multiple regression analyses with moderation techniques were conducted using the New Families in the Netherlands (NFN) survey, large-scale data collected in 2020 among divorced and separated parents with a minor or (young) adult focal child ( N = 1829). We found for each family dyad (between the biological parent and the focal child, between the biological parent and the stepparent, and between the stepparent and the other biological parent of the focal child) that a high relationship quality was associated with higher stepparent-child relationship quality. Their importance, however, varied across residence arrangements. Poor relationship quality of the biological parent-child dyad and the stepparent-other biological parent dyad was associated with a poor stepparent-child relationship, especially when the focal child was nonresident. Whereas, there was a positive association between the stepcouple relationship and stepparent-child relationship quality primarily for children living full-time with the stepfamily. Altogether, the relationship quality of various family dyads spills over to the stepparent-child dyad - though the extent of this spillover differs depending on the opportunity structure determined by children’s residence.

The Power of Three: A Latent Class Analysis of the Three Parent–Child Relationships in Stepfamilies and Their Influence on Emerging Adult Outcomes

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of parent–child relationships in stepfamilies and explore their impact on emerging adult (EA) outcomes. Six classes of parent–child relationships were identified based on participants’ retrospective reports of warmth and closeness, involved parenting, and communication. After identifying the classes, we examined how resident parent relationships status, EA sex, stepparent sex, years spent in a stepfamily, the age the EA entered the stepfamily, and the time spent with the nonresident parent affected class membership. Finally, we examined how class membership affected EA depression, drug use, and hooking up behaviors.

Narrative Inquiry on Experiences of Half-sibling Relationships in Step families

Narrative Inquiry on Experiences of Half-sibling Relationships in Step families

Narrative Inquiry on Experiences of Half-sibling Relationships in Step families

Narrative Inquiry on Experiences of Half-sibling Relationships in Step families

Parental relationship stability and parent–adult child relationships in stepfamilies: A test of alternative models.

Stepfamily relationships remain important over the life course to both children and parents. Unfortunately, limitations in availability of longitudinal data that include useful measures of stepfamily relations remain, thereby scholars must rely mostly on cross-sectional examinations. As a way to more rigorously test some of the mixed cross-sectional findings related to the links among stepcouple stability and parent-adult child relationships (closeness, involvement) for three parent-child subsystems (mother-child, father-child, stepparent-child), we used an alternative modeling strategy to test three plausible models. Multiple group analyses also were used to compare associations for stepmother and stepfather families. Stepfamilies (N = 330) from the National Survey of Families and Households with data from both adult children and primary respondents (resident parent or stepparent) were included. All three models fit the data. The best-fitting model suggests the most probable order of association is that parental involvement is associated with parent-child closeness which, in turn, is associated with stepcouple stability. Results also suggest that multiple parent-child relationships and stepcouple relationship stability are generally positively linked for both stepmother and stepfather households, although some differences emerged. Taken together, findings underscore the influence of cross-household stepfamily relationships even when children are adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Les relations interpersonnelles au sein de la famille recomposée : un état de la littérature

Stepfamilies are common nowadays. This article reviews studies on the quality of the various interpersonal relationships in stepfamilies: the stepparent–stepchild relationship, the parent–child relationship, the marital and coparenting relationships, and overall family functioning. We discuss the studies’ findings on how these relationships are linked and how they affect children's internalized and externalized difficulties. Finally, on the basis of this empirical review, we propose some directions for future work for professionals working with stepfamilies that could improve understanding of the relationship issues specific to stepfamilies.

Mother and Father Figures in Biological and Stepfamilies: Youths' Perceptions of Parent-Child Relationship Quality and Parental Involvement

The present study assessed the effects of age, sex, and family type on youths' perceptions of: (a) the quality of the relationship with their maternal and paternal figures and (b) their perception of their parental figures' involvement, in Colombian biological and stepfamilies. A sample of 210 youths responded to questionnaires. Seventy-nine participants lived with their biological parents, 79 lived with a stepfather, and 52 lived with a stepmother. MANOVA results indicated significant interaction effects of family type and age, family type and sex, and a significant main effect of family type on relationship quality dimensions and parental involvement. Findings are discussed based on existing research on the influence of family type, age, and child's sex on parent-child relationships in biological and stepfamilies.

Parent-Child Relationships in Stepfather Families and Adolescent Adjustment: A Latent Class Analysis.

In the current study the authors drew on Waves I and III from Add Health to examine the closeness of parent-adolescent relationships in married mother-stepfather families (N = 1,934). They used latent class analysis to identify family constellations defined by adolescents' relationships with all of their parents: mothers, stepfathers, and biological nonresident fathers. In particular, the authors (a) identified the most common underlying patterns of adolescent-parent relationships in stepfamilies; (b) determined the background characteristics that predict membership in these groups; and (c) examined how adolescents in these groups fare with respect to depressive symptoms, delinquency, and substance use. The results indicate that adolescents' relationships can be represented with 4 latent classes. Adolescents in these classes differ on measures of adjustment, and many of these differences persist into the early adult years.

Intergenerational Attachments in Stepfamilies

This descriptive article addressed attention to current issues and innovative methods by focusing on legitimizing the importance of the step-grandparent relationships in stepfamilies and the offering of a narrative counseling approach to strengthen this stepfamily resource.

Factors associated with positive relationships between stepfathers and adolescent stepchildren

This study employs nationally representative data on adolescents and their stepfathers (n=2085) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine factors associated with positive stepfather–stepchild relationships in married stepfamilies. Results reveal substantial variability in the perceived quality of adolescents’ relationships with stepfathers. Structural equation models using Wave I data reveal that close relationships with mothers and close ties between mothers and stepfathers are positively related to the perceived quality of adolescents’ relationships with stepfathers. Longitudinal models using Waves I and II do not yield definitive results but suggest that the direction of influence runs in both directions, with the mother–child relationship and the stepfather–stepchild relationship mutually reinforcing one another. We identify a number of other factors that are associated with positive stepfather–stepchild ties, as well as a few factors that may be less consequential than previously thought. Most of the correlates of positive stepfather–stepchild relationships are similar for boys and girls; for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics; and for stepfamilies of various durations.

Stepfamilies in Later Life

The proliferation of divorce and remarriage over the last few decades has produced a sharp increase in the prevalence of stepfamilies, a family form famously labeled by Cherlin (1978) as an incomplete institution for its ambiguous set of role expectations. Although the large majority of investigations into stepfamilies and step-relations has understandably focused on the consequences of family disruption and reformation for the well-being of parents and children at early stages of the family life cycle (Sweeney, 2010), the potential implications for mature families are equally profound. This is particularly relevant to those individuals who experienced the divorce revolution of the late 20th century and who are now entering their later years in complex families with various configurations of step- and biological relationships (Cherlin, 2010). Consequently, it behooves scholars to examine how mature adults and their adult children negotiate relationships in stepfamilies, particularly as older parents confront the challenges and vulnerabilities of midlife and beyond. This special section brings together eight articles from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States to address issues relevant to the functioning of mature step-relationships and their implications for the well-being of older stepparents.The empirical literature generally reveals adverse effects of parental divorce and stepfamily formation on intergenerational relationships in adulthood, raising concerns about the adequacy of informal support and care available to repartnered elderly parents (Pezzin, Poliak, & Schone, 2008; Ryan, Smith, Antonucci, & Jackson, 2012; Silverstein & Giarrusso, 2010). Evidence is accumulating that the legacy of divorce and remarriage has a long reach, straining intergenerational relationships and suppressing the support that divorced parents, stepparents, and remarried biological parents might expect from their children in later life (Aquilino, 2005; Shapiro, 2003). Indeed, an emerging consensus is that mid- to late life stepfamilies are developing in new and uncharted ways that require further investigation (Ganong & Coleman, 2012).The articles in this section investigate a variety of intergenerational outcomes in mature stepfamilies (emotional closeness, relationship strength, living arrangements, geographic propinquity, in-person contact, and inclusion in personal networks) and the impact of stepfamily membership on the well-being of older parents (mortality and institutionalization; depression and caregiving burden). Three overlapping conceptual themes are represented by the articles, each with key implications for aging stepfamilies: (a) negotiation of boundary ambiguity, (b) intergenerational resource exchange, and (c) filial norms and expectations.The dilemma of boundary ambiguity is based on uncertainties in the role expectations of partners in step-relationships. Clear guidelines for behavior are often absent, leading to attenuation in the strength of step-relationships and an increase in their fragility. Suanet, van der Pas, and van Tilburg (2013) provided evidence that the boundary dividing biological and steprelationships has blurred over 17 years. A cohort comparison reveals that mature stepparents are more inclusive in considering stepchildren as members of their close personal networks than they were in the past. This suggests that role uncertainties may be waning, because steprelationships in more contemporary cohorts of parents are less likely to be relegated to the periphery of family life.Boundary ambiguity is extended to new family forms in the article by de Jong Gierveld and Merz (2013), who studied intergenerational relations of repartnered parents in livingapart-together (LAT) relationships (defined as marriagelike relationships whereby partners maintain separate residences). The authors found that adult children who resist accepting their parent's new partner tend to prefer an LAT arrangement because it preserves geographic boundaries, without which active conflict might emerge with the new partner. …

Ex-Spouses' Relational Satisfaction as a Function of Coparental Communication in Stepfamilies

This study tested a series of actor-partner interdependence models of coparental communication and relational satisfaction among ex-spouses living in stepfamilies. Participants included 41 ex-spousal dyads (N = 82). Results revealed two actor-oriented models whereby ex-spouses' supportive and antagonistic coparental communication predicted their own (but not their ex-spouse's) relational satisfaction. A second set of models revealed that nonresidential parents' supportive and antagonistic coparental communication with the residential stepparent predicted their own satisfaction with their ex-spouses, as well as their ex-spouse's satisfaction with them (i.e., a partner effect). Importantly, the findings demonstrate the interdependence of coparenting relationships in stepfamilies, as supportive coparental communication between nonresidential parents and their ex-spouse's new partner (i.e., the stepparent) predicted meaningful variance in relational satisfaction for both ex-spouses.

Stepparents' and nonresidential parents' relational satisfaction as a function of coparental communication in stepfamilies

Using interdependence theory, this study tested a series of actor–partner interdependence models of coparental communication and relational satisfaction among stepparents and nonresidential parents in stepfamilies. Participants included 40 residential stepparent/nonresidential parent dyads ( N = 80). Results revealed significant actor and partner effects for stepparents' and nonresidential parents' reports of supportive and antagonistic coparental communication and relational satisfaction. A second set of models examined stepparents' and nonresidential parents' coparental communication with the residential parent and revealed that nonresidential parents' supportive and antagonistic coparental communication predicted their own satisfaction with the stepparent, as well as the stepparent’s satisfaction with them (i.e., a partner effect). Importantly, the findings demonstrate the interdependence of coparenting relationships in stepfamilies, as nonresidential parents' coparental communication with their ex-spouses predicted meaningful variance in stepparents' satisfaction with the nonresidential parent.

“Shifting Family Boundaries” After the Diagnosis of Childhood Cancer in Stepfamilies

The childhood cancer experiences of stepfamilies have not been described despite the fact that nearly one third of U.S. children will live in a stepfamily household. To describe the impact of diagnosis on parental relationships in stepfamilies, we undertook a secondary analysis of data from a study of parental decision making in structurally diverse families. As described by 13 parents of six stepfamilies, the crisis of a childhood cancer diagnosis immediately changed family dynamics. Parental relationships changed, which shifted family boundaries, creating instability in families who were trying to cope with a very stressful life experience. Through increased understanding of parental relationship changes that occur after the diagnosis of childhood cancer in stepfamilies, clinicians can anticipate these changes and provide supportive interventions to reduce overall family conflict and distress. These distinctive stepfamily responses underscore the need to include structurally diverse families in future trials targeting parental coping in childhood cancer.

Attachment patterns of young adults in stepfamilies and biological families

This research addressed the under-studied question of attachment patterns in stepfamilies. In total, 368 young adults participated in three studies assessing key aspects of attachment in stepfamilies and biological families (categorical attachment, working models, attachment dimensions and attachment figures). Stepfamily participants were less likely than biological family participants to endorse a categorical measure of secure attachment and had more negative mental models of others; however, participants did not differ on other measures of attachment. Participants’ satisfaction with their relationship with their biological father mediated the association between family type and mental model of others. The results are discussed in terms of attachment theory, previous research on relationships in stepfamilies and implications for practice. In particular, they emphasise the importance of relationships with parents for the adjustment of offspring in stepfamilies.

The divorce decree, communication, and the structuration of coparenting relationships in stepfamilies

Using Giddens's (1984) structuration theory, this study explored the communicative processes surrounding the divorce decree in coparenting relationships in stepfamilies. Participants included 21 adults who were coparenting children in stepfamilies who completed diary entries of all interactions with coparents over a 2-week period, and who completed follow-up interviews. Results revealed two structures of signification with respect to the divorce decree that enabled and constrained coparenting interactions. The first signification structure was one in which the decree was framed as a legal document, dictating the rights and responsibilities of parenting, especially with respect to child access and financial issues. The second signification structure was one in which the decree was viewed as a negotiating guide for more informal coparental decision-making processes.

Boundary Ambiguity in Stepfamilies

Family boundary ambiguity refers to a lack of clarity as to who is in and who is out of the family system. Few studies have examined this concept in the stepfamily context, which is problematic because such definitional problems hinder our understanding of close relationships in stepfamilies. Based on a nationally representative sample of first-married, remarried, and cohabiting couples with minor children, this study investigates the prevalence and nature of boundary ambiguity in stepfamilies (families that include children from previous unions) and the relationship between boundary ambiguity and couples’ relationship quality and stability. Results suggest that boundary ambiguity is much more prevalent in stepfamilies than original two-parent families and that boundary ambiguity is associated with the structure of the stepfamily. Boundary ambiguity is negatively associated with the quality of the couple’s relationship and stability of the union, but only from the perspective of wives and female partners.

Therapists' Perceptions of Bioparent-Child Relationships in Stepfamilies

Stepfamily relationship research has focused on step-relationships with particular emphasis on stepparent-stepchild relationships, despite increasing evidence that residential bioparent-child relationships can be negatively impacted through remarriage and stepfamily living. In this project, 9 stepfamily therapists were interviewed about their experiences of the bioparent-child dyad in stepfamilies. A number of themes emerged from these interviews around parental responses and stepfamily processes that were observed by the therapists to be hurtful or helpful for children and adolescents. These included loss of time and attention; differences in meaning of remarriage for children and parents; problems around discipline, and loyalty issues; the ongoing psychological significance of the original family; and interparental conflict. Implications for models of stepfamily adjustment are discussed.