Does Couple and Relationship Education Work for Individuals in Stepfamilies? A Meta‐analytic Study

Lucier‐Greer, Mallory; Adler‐Baeder, Francesca

doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00728.x

Cited by 41 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Moreover, the results of this study highlight the need for ongoing intervention development, as most current stepfamily interventions employ a couple enrichment approach (Lucier-Greer & Adler-Baeder, 2012; Whitton, Nicholson, & Markman, 2008). About 29% of the stepfamilies in the sample had below-average stepcouple relationship quality (i.e., the unhappy couple pattern).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Constellations of dyadic relationship quality in stepfamilies: A factor mixture model.

Jensen

2017

Journal of Family Psychology

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Stepfamilies are an increasingly common family form, marked by distinct challenges, opportunities, and complex networks of dyadic relationships that can transcend single households. There exists a dearth of typological analyses by which constellations of dyadic processes in stepfamilies are analyzed holistically. Factor mixture modeling, a form of latent variable mixture modeling, is employed to identify population heterogeneity with respect to features of mother-child, stepfather-child, nonresident father-child, and stepcouple relationships using a representative sample of 1,182 adolescents in mother-stepfather families with living nonresident fathers from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Results favor a four-class factor-mixture solution with class-specific factor covariance matrices. Class 1 (n = 302, 25.5%), the residence-centered pattern, was marked by high-quality residential relationships. Class 2 (n = 307, 26%), the inclusive pattern, was marked by high-quality relationships across all four dyads, with an especially involved nonresident father-child relationship. Class 3 (n = 350, 29.6%), the unhappy couple pattern, was marked by very low stepcouple relationship quality. Class 4 (n = 223, 18.9%), the parent-child disconnection pattern, was marked by distant relationships between youth and all three parental figures. The residence-centered and inclusive patterns encompassed some positive correlations between dyadic relationships, whereas the unhappy couple and parent-child disconnection patterns encompassed some negative correlations between dyadic relationships. The patterns present with differences across socio-demographic and substantive covariates, and highlight important opportunities for the development of new and innovative interventions, particularly to meet the needs of stepfamilies that reflect the parent-child disconnection pattern.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Constellations of dyadic relationship quality in stepfamilies: A factor mixture model.

Jensen

2017

Journal of Family Psychology

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“…Practitioners have developed a number of programs in recent years to improve communication and general family functioning in stepfamilies (Lucier-Greer and Adler-Baeder, 2012). Our findings indicate that most of the correlates of positive stepfather-stepchild ties are similar for boys and girls, for adolescents from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and for stepfamilies of various durations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with positive relationships between stepfathers and adolescent stepchildren

King

Thorsen

Amato

2014

Social Science Research

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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.

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“…We also emphasize the practical and clinical value of presenting an overview of stepchild perspectives in this area. Notably, most stepfamily education and enhancement models do not incorporate stepchildren as active participants or contributors (see Lucier-Greer & Adler-Baeder, 2012;Whitton, Nicholson, & Markman, 2008). This is odd and unfortunate, because stepfamilies, by definition, would not exist without the presence of children.…”

Section: Limitations and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Perceived Stepparent–Child Relationship Quality: A Systematic Review of Stepchildren's Perspectives

Jensen

Howard

2015

Marriage & Family Review

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Stepfamily scholars have emphasized the importance of including stepchildren in the analysis and discussion of stepfamily life. This systematic review synthesized recent research examining predictors=correlates of stepparent-child relationship quality from the viewpoint of stepchildren in the United States. Five bibliographic databases were searched, resulting in 631 potentially relevant studies for review. Manual searches of three prominent family studies journals were also conducted. Screening and eligibility assessment based on a priori inclusion criteria yielded a final sample of 23 studies, including published studies and reports found in the ''gray'' literature. Significant predictors=correlates associated with stepchildren's perceptions of stepparent-child relationship quality were grouped into the following conceptual domains: individual characteristics, family characteristics, features of (step)parent-child interactions, and stepcouple dynamics. Limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed.

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Does Couple and Relationship Education Work for Individuals in Stepfamilies? A Meta‐analytic Study

Cited by 41 publications

References 35 publications

Constellations of dyadic relationship quality in stepfamilies: A factor mixture model.

Constellations of dyadic relationship quality in stepfamilies: A factor mixture model.

Factors associated with positive relationships between stepfathers and adolescent stepchildren

Perceived Stepparent–Child Relationship Quality: A Systematic Review of Stepchildren's Perspectives

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