Shared Children in Stepfamilies: Experiences Living in a Hybrid Family Structure

Abstract

Objective To explore the lived experiences of shared children in stepfamilies (i.e., those born into a repartnered family who live with married parents and older half‐siblings). Background Shared children have been found to fare worse than other sibling groups on a variety of outcomes (e.g., educational outcomes, antisocial behavior, depressive symptoms). Little is known, however, about the lived experiences of these individuals. Method Using descriptive phenomenology, we conducted interviews with 20 shared children to answer the following research question: What is the nature of the experience of being a shared child in a stepfamily? Participants ranged in age from 19 to 30 years and lived in the same household with their half‐sibling(s) for at least some time growing up. Results Shared children's experiences were shaped by living in a hybrid “step‐nuclear” family; their upbringings were characterized by the tension of “reorganizing” as a nuclear unit but doing so within a larger stepfamily structure. The overriding phenomenon of participants' experiences was regulating family privacy boundaries—privacy rules existed surrounding sensitive information about family structure, marital histories, stepfamily dynamics, and more. In the absence of information, these children hypothesized about the topics that were not openly discussed in their families—a key part of their lived experiences. Conclusion Open communication with shared children surrounding family histories and dynamics may help reduce the ambiguity of living in a step‐nuclear family. Implications This study is an important step in understanding what about shared children's lived experiences might put them at higher risk for negative outcomes.

Toward More Accurate Measures of Family Structure: Accounting for Sibling Complexity

“…These findings highlight important discrepancies between family researchers and the families we research (Sanner et al, 2020). The extent to which hegemonic definitions of family structure align with participants' understandings of their own family structures often goes unquestioned.…”

“…Jim. Jim is a shared child in a stepfamily, meaning he was born into the repartnered family (Sanner, Ganong, & Coleman 2020). His parents, Gerald and Betsy, both had children in their first marriages.…”

“…His mother and stepfather, as well as his father and stepmother, went on to have shared children, meaning Michael had two sets of younger half-siblings. In addition, Michael may have relationships with his half-siblings' half-siblings (what some people have called "quarter-siblings," a type of sibling complexity that has been largely overlooked; Sanner et al, 2020). If either of his parents redivorce, his stepsiblings may become "ex-stepsiblings"-another relationship that has received scant empirical attention.…”

“…Similarly, social construction theory emphasizes the subjectivity of ideas and the constructed nature of knowledge (Berger & Luckmann, 1967). Applied to families, social construction focuses on how boundaries of family membership are based not just on genetics but also on affection, cognition, and behavior (Sanner et al, 2020). Mid-range theories such as "doing family" have also been used to challenge hegemonic definitions of family structures (Bulanda, 2011).…”

“…Consequently, "family" is increasingly recognized as a fluid and subjective concept (Demo et al, 2005;Sanner, Ganong, & Coleman, 2021). Although hegemonic definitions have traditionally centered the role of genetic and legal ties in defining family, family membership is socially constructed, based not just on biology and law but also on affect, cognition, communication, and behavior (Sanner et al, 2020). In the study of family structure, however, researchers tend to conflate families with households, comparing specific residential units on the basis of their living arrangements (Demo et al, 2005).…”