Stepfather Families Research Articles

Relation between marital quality and (step)parent-child relationship quality for parents and stepparents in stepfamilies.

This study examined the relation between perceived marital quality and the perceived quality of the (step)parent–child relationship in 2 independent samples of couples living in stepfamilies. In Sample 1, participants were both spouses in 111 stepmother families and 92 stepfather families recruited from the Stepfamily Association of America. In Sample 2, participants were both spouses in 442 stepfather families and 75 stepmother families who participated in the National Survey of Families and Households. Within families, for both samples, the relation between perceived marital quality and the perceived quality of the stepparent–stepchild relationship was stronger than that between perceived marital quality and the perceived quality of the biological parent–child relationship.

Intrapsychic and interpersonal factors related to adolescent psychological well-being in stepmother and stepfather families.

Intrapsychic and interpersonal factors related to adolescent psychological well-being in stepmother and stepfather families.

Family processes and adolescent adjustment in intact and remarried families

This study examines whether family processes that predict positive and negative developmental outcomes are the same in intact and remarried families. Surveys were administered to 758 tenth graders from intact families and 95 from stepfather families. Measures of cohesion, democratic decision-making style, permissiveness, and conflict were used to predict self-rated depression, worry, and self-esteem. Remarried and intact families provide similar family environments for permissiveness and democratic decision making. Remarried families are more conflictual and less cohesive than intact families. In both family types, conflict had negative effects, and cohesion and democratic decision-making had positive effects on adolescents' adjustment. In remarried families, but not intact, permissiveness was related to higher self-esteem.

Social Support Received by Children in Stepmother, Stepfather, and Intact Families

This study compared the (step)mother-(step)chiId relationship among college students using social support concepts in three family types: stepmother, stepfather, and intact. As predicted, when compared to the relationship between children and their bio- logical mothers in other family types, children in stepmother fami- lies perceived less relationship quality, less support and more con- flict with their stepmother. However, children in stepmother families did not perceive more overall family conflict or less family cohesion than children in the other family types. Similarly, children in the stepmother families were no less satisfied with the overall social support they received from their entire social network than children in the other family types.

Influences on the Quality of Stepfather-Adolescent Relationships:

Using dyadic responses, this study of 50 middle to upper-to-middle class stepfather families examined factors that in- fluence the quality of the stepfather-adolescent relationship. Correla- tional analysis indicated that agreement between the stepfather and mother regarding the raising of the adolescent (from the perspective of both the stepfather and the adolescent) was the most significant predictor of relationship quality. Other predictors were stepfather's satisfaction with his marriage and the adolescent's perception of family income. The importance of a family systems perspective is addressed.

Parent and nonparent residential family members as providers of warmth and supervision to young adolescents.

In contrast to previous studies that have examined only parents as sources of warmth and supervision, this study examined any residential family member as a source of warmth and supervision. Ss were 6th and 7th graders from 434 2-parent, 66 single-divorced-mother, and 90 stepfather families. The frequency with which mothers, (step)fathers, siblings, and other nonparent family members were nominated as providers of warmth and supervision varied by family structure and adolescent gender. Findings indicate that stepparents, siblings, and adult nonparents need to be viewed as socialization agents, particularly in families affected by divorce and remarriage.

Family relationships and children's adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families.

Family relationships and children's adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families.

Patterns of Courtship for Remarriage: Implications for Child Adjustment and Parent-Child Relationships

Most children who experience their parents' divorce also experience their custodial parent's remarriage. However, research has not addressed how patterns of courtship for remarriage influence the developing child and his or her relationships in the new family. This longitudinal study focuses on 57 remarried, stepfather families with a target child aged 9 to 13, using multimethod, multi-informant measures of child adjustment and parent-child relationships. Comparisons were made to determine whether the custodial mother's number of dating partners, remarriage courtship length, or the timing and sequence of typical courtship stages affected the child's adjustment and his or her relationships with the residential parents after remarriage. Results indicated that a longer time spent in a divorced, mother-custody household was associated with continuing difficulty in stepfather-stepchild relationships and lower levels of the child's social competence during the initial months following remarriage. In addition, children whose custodial mother cohabited before remarriage appeared to be more socially competent throughout the two years after remarriage, while also experiencing less negative family relationships. Assertions about the ideal timing of courtship for remarriage are challenged.

Perceived Adjustment of Parents and Children: Variations by Family Structure, Race, and Gender

The article presents a study examining family structure, race, and gender differences in parent and child adjustment to address the absence of empirical information about the experiences of African-American step-family members. Parental percept of child adjustment were investigated because studies of primarily white families have suggested that. children in stepfamilies may experience more distress. Consequently, given the pattern of generally small differences and similarity across groups, the empirical literature that has assessed parent and child adjustment in white stepfather families and African-American intact families may be generalize to the reports of parents in African-American stepfather families.

Family Disruption, Violent Victimization and Protest Masculinity

Americans show great concern over the likely harmful effects of father-absent families on children, especially when families are black. Little or no concern is shown over step-families although these are expected to be the predominant family form by the year 2000. Our study finds the emphasis on female-based black households to be misplaced when violent victimization is the harm of interest. Data for 1973, 1976, 1980 and 1984 from national samples of Americans indicate that persons reared in both father-absent and step-father families were more likely to be victims of violence (being punched or beaten) than persons reared by both natural parents. The relationship was stronger for step-father families. Also, the only significant interaction between race and family structure (family type, family composition) showed a stronger relationship between family structure and violent victimization among whites. In addition, adverse effects of family structure occurred when family disruption was due to divorce or separation but not to death of the father. The emphasis in protest masculinity theory on involvement in violence as an expression of exaggerated masculinity is inconsistent with the finding of no relationship when the father is dead and the relatively strong relationship when a step-father is present.

Family relationships and children's adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families.

The study investigated differences in marital and family process, children's behavioral adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families, and the relationship of family process to children's psychosocial adjustment.

The Relation between Adolescents' Perceptions of their Family Lives and their Adjustment in Stepfather Families

This study assessed the relation between adolescents 'perceptions offamily life and their adjustment in stepfather families. Adolescents and biological mothers from 117 stepfather families were interviewed as a part of the National Survey of Children. Data gathered included a number of measures of adolescent adjustment (from both adolescent and maternal reports) and adolescents'perceptions offamily life. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for demographic variables, revealed that adolescents' adjustment was related to theirperceptions of lower levels ofparentalpunishment more parental rewards and consistency, more parental agreement in child-rearing issues, more traditional beliefs regarding marriage and family life, and less anger at their mothers' remarriage. These findings support the notion that adolescents' perceptions of their family lives are related to their adjustment in stepfather families.

Cognitive Correlates of Satisfaction for Mothers and Stepfathers in Stepfather Families

Cognitive Correlates of Satisfaction for Mothers and Stepfathers in Stepfather Families

Marital Stability and Changes in Marital Quality in Newly Wed Couples: A Test of the Contextual Model

This study presents evidence supporting a contextual model of marriage that demographic and personality variables relevant to relationship functioning provide a context within which marital events are appraised. Changes in marital relationships were examined from the time of marriage to 1 year later. Twenty-three couples who separated/ divorced before their first anniversary reliably differed from 353 couples who stayed together on demographic variables, personality variables and spousal discrepancies on the personality variables. The intact couples were divided into six types of couples which varied by marital history of each spouse (first marriage or remarriage after divorce) and presence/absence of children or stepchildren. Over both times of assessment, couples experiencing a premarital pregnancy reported the lowest marital quality. Marital quality decreased over the 1-year period, especially for couples having experienced a premarital pregnancy and for couples in a remarriage or in a stepfather family. Husbands' and wives' marital quality, as well as changes in marital quality over the 1-year period, were related to their own personality scores as well as to the overall discrepancy between husbands' and wives' personality scores.

Marital power in stepfather families: A test of normative-resource theory.

Marital power in stepfather families: A test of normative-resource theory.

Marital power in stepfather families: A test of normative-resource theory.

Marital power in stepfather families: A test of normative-resource theory.

The Relationship Between Former-Spousal Contact and Remarital Satisfaction in Stepfather Families

Prior research has suggested a curviliner relationship between former-spousal contact and remarital satisfcation. Sixty couples in stepfather families were interviewed in order to further explore the relationship between wife former-spousal contact and remarital satisfaction. Two variables were found to interact with contact to enhance the predictability of remarital satisfaction: husband congruence between the ideal and the perceived amount of wife former-spousal nonparental relating and couple consesus regarding the ideal wife former-spousal nonparental relationship. Findings suggest that higher amounts of wife contact with the former spouse are associated with higher levels of remarital satisfaction when role expectations are realistic and agreed upon, and boundaries are clearly defined.

Noncustodial Father and Paternal Grandparent Relationships in Stepfamilies

This study examines the associations between children's psychological adjustment in stepfather families and their relationships with their noncustodial fathers and paternal grandparents. Differences in these relationships during the first 7 years of remarriage and how these relationships vary for boys and girls are also investigated. The results indicate no differences in contact or relationship quality with noncustodial fathers orpaternal grandparents for boys and girls or at differentpoints after remarriage. Correlations between contact and relationships with fathers and paternal grandparents and children's adjustment vary depending on the children's sex and length of remarriage. Implications for future research and relationships within stepfamilies are discussed.

Fatherhood today: men's changing role in the family

The father in the developing two-parent family becoming a father a time of change, an opportunity for development fathers, infants and toddlers a developing relationship correlates of fathers' participation in family work fathers and family relationships - variations and change fathers as primary care-giving fathers of long duration parent-child relationships in step-father families divorced fathers with custody prevention and intervention programmes for men and boys education for fatherhood working with men becoming fathers - the impact of a couples' group intervention men's changing role in the family - directions for research and social change fathers' roles in the family implications for research, intervention and change.

Conceptions of Parentage and Kinship Among Children of Divorce

American AnthropologistVolume 90, Issue 1 p. 136-144 Free Access Conceptions of Parentage and Kinship Among Children of Divorce Colleen Leahy Johnson, Colleen Leahy Johnson Medical Anthropology Program University of California, San FranciscoSearch for more papers by this authorLinnea Klee, Linnea Klee Medical Anthropology Program University of California, San FranciscoSearch for more papers by this authorCatherine Schmidt, Catherine Schmidt Medical Anthropology Program University of California, San FranciscoSearch for more papers by this author Colleen Leahy Johnson, Colleen Leahy Johnson Medical Anthropology Program University of California, San FranciscoSearch for more papers by this authorLinnea Klee, Linnea Klee Medical Anthropology Program University of California, San FranciscoSearch for more papers by this authorCatherine Schmidt, Catherine Schmidt Medical Anthropology Program University of California, San FranciscoSearch for more papers by this author First published: March 1988 https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1988.90.1.02a00110Citations: 5AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. 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Citing Literature Volume90, Issue1March 1988Pages 136-144 ReferencesRelatedInformation