Sibling Interactions in Married and Divorced Families:

One hundred twenty-eight sibling dyads, 64 from married families, and 64 from divorced, were observed on two separate occasions while playing a structured and an unstructured game. Half of the sibling dyads within each family form were from higher socioeconomic status (SES) families and half from lower SES families. The frequency of caretaking (e.g., directing, teaching, helping), negative, and positive behaviors were coded. Results revealed that sibling interactions in divorced families are both more negative and less positive than in married families. Siblings in divorced families also engage in more caretaking behavior. Similar differences were detected between lower and higher SES families, yet differences in sibling interactions in married and divorced families were not exacerbated by socioeconomic status. Younger siblings were more likely to be the recipient of caregiving behavior and to be more positive in their interactions. However, both older and younger siblings' behavior was influenced by the game context.     

The Experience of Remarried Couples in Blended Families

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.     

Father Involvement and Regularity of Child Support in Post-Divorce Families

The study examined the relationship between 20 divorced, non-custodial fathers and their children from the perspective of both the mother and the father. Results indicated parental agreement over the perceived consistency of child support but disagreement over the amount of influence the fathers had in the area of finanical affairs. Mothers who did not receive child support on a consistent basis considered a father's influence to be of fathers perceived changes between the father pre-and post-divorce influence with the exception of influence over financial decisions. Overall the results of the study indicate that divorced fathers are not necessarily absent parents and that both mothers and fathers consider post-divorce father involvement desirable.     

Infant-Mother Attachment in Separated and Married Families

Abstract

Two contrasting predictions about the effects of parental marital separation on infants' attachment to their mothers are considered. The “early adversity” hypothesis suggests that infants will be adversely affected by negative life events and thus will develop anxious attachments to their mothers. The “protective” hypothesis claims that infants are resistant to stressors because of their limited cognitive ability, and therefore will be no more likely to develop anxious attachments than other infants. Results from 76 mother-child pairs in the “strange situation” procedure (assessing infantmother attachment) supported the “protective” hypothesis in that there were no significant differences between infants in two marital status groups. The role of marital status versus unfavorable life events in affecting children's development was discussed.     

Married to the Military: Filipinas Negotiating Transnational Families

Women migrating transnationally as "entertainers" within Asia are particularly exposed to the possibility of forming relationships in these transnational sites. This is because the nature of their work, which entails chatting and dancing with customers and various forms of sexual labour, including fondling, kissing and sometimes sex, often leads to romantic liaisons with customers in the clubs where they are deployed. This possibility is even more pronounced for women who are trafficked (that is, deceptively recruited and employed) as entertainers, as they often counter the severe vulnerabilities associated with their positions by relying on customers-cum-boyfriends for support and assistance. Marriage is one common result of these liaisons. This paper considers the multiple impacts of such marriages for foreign female entertainers on family. I focus particularly on the ways such marriages can both constrain existing family responsibilities and facilitate new ones. The paper draws on the case of Filipinas married to American soldiers in Korea as a case study for discussion. I suggest that migrant women who become involved in such marriages are often pulled between the potentially conflicting demands of old (within their home countries) and new (with their American soldier husbands) family ties and responsibilities. I also suggest that these women's new families, whilst outwardly displaying elements of traditional gendered household roles and structures, are often characterised by long absences of the husband (to other countries or within the country of residence) and long-term patterns of transnational migration that can have a highly disruptive impact on family arrangements.     

Marital Satisfaction in Turkish Remarried Families: Marital Status,Stepchildren, and Contributing Factors

This study aimed to compare marital satisfaction among those of different marital status (first-married, postdivorce remarried, and postbereavement remarried) based on gender; to investigate the effect of decision of divorce on marital satisfaction of postdivorce remarried individuals; to examine the effect of type of death on marital satisfaction of postbereavement remarried individuals; and to examine the effect of stepchildren on marital satisfaction of remarried individuals. It was also intended to investigate the predictive power of demographic and contextual variables on marital satisfaction in different households. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale and an information form were administered to 116 first-married and 223 remarried individuals. To test the hypotheses of the study, analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed. Results revealed that there was no significant marital satisfaction difference in terms of marital status. Remarried individuals with residential stepchildren had lower marital satisfaction than those with nonresidential stepchildren and those without stepchildren. For first-married individuals, length of marriage and income predicted marital satisfaction. For postdivorce remarried individuals, gender and presence of mutual children were predictors. For postbereavement remarried individuals, length of current marriage and income were significant predictors. For those with stepchildren, only residence of stepchildren significantly predicted marital satisfaction. The findings of the study were discussed in the light of relevant literature.     

Parent and Stepparent Support and Psychological Control in Remarried Families and Adolescent Empathic Concern

Abstract

Using a symbolic interaction perspective, this study examined the extent to which (a) perceptions of parent/stepparent support were positively related to adolescent empathic concern and (b) perceptions of parent/stepparent psychological control mediated this relationship. Participants were a convenience sample of 72 ninth and tenth grade adolescents residing in remarried family households who completed self-report questionnaires. Results showed that adolescent girls in remarried family households who perceived their residential parent as more supportive reported greater empathic concern and that the relationship was mediated by perceptions of parent psychological control.     

Parent-Child Relationships,Parental Relationships and Children's Self-Esteem in Post-Divorce Families in Hong Kong

Abstract

In recent research on post-divorce families in Hong Kong, there has been a shift away from the assumption of pathology, and in favor of a trend of increasing attention to children's resilience and the benefits of a continuous parental relationship. There remains, however, a lack of empirical knowledge to guide social work practices in this area in contemporary Hong Kong. The present study is designed to examine how children's relationships with both parents and the different patterns of parental relationships impact children's self-esteem. Sixty-nine post-divorce families participated in the survey. The findings of a positive impact of quality relationship with both parents supported the promotion of active involvement of both parents. The likelihood of increased parental conflicts, however, makes the co-parental involvement a double-edged sword as far as the children are concerned, while an avoidance/low-conflict pattern of parental relationship is found to be the most beneficial pattern for the children. To enhance the well-being of children, a secure residential parent-child relationship with a noncompetitive nonresidential parent-child relationship is deemed beneficial.     

Gender Differences in Stories of Violence and Caring by Preschool Children in Post-Divorce Families: Implications for Social Competence

Themes of violence and caring in the spontaneous play of preschool-aged children in response to a revised version of the Attachment Story Completion Task (Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, 1990) were analyzed in relation to their social behavior in child-care settings. All children (n = 66, 39 boys) lived in post-divorce families, primarily in the custody of their mothers. Some story enactments of violence predicted negative social behavior in child-care for both boys and girls. Other story enactments were strongly associated with gender and did not uniformly predict social behavior, suggesting that gender socialization plays a significant role in children's play representations of violence and caring. Implications for children's development and the interpretation of children's play behavior are discussed.     

An Examination of Gender Role Attitude Change Patterns Among Continuously Married,Divorced, and Remarried Individuals

Gender role attitudes influence marital satisfaction and stability and are typically treated as stable traits in adulthood. Theory and retrospective studies suggest changes in the life course based on relationship histories; however, tests of these assumptions are virtually nonexistent. Analyses from a longitudinal, nationally representative U.S. sample of 590 married individuals who vary in their marital experiences revealed both period effects and distinct within-group change patterns. Over a 20-year time period all demonstrate a shift toward more egalitarian attitudes. However, contrary to retrospective accounts asserting a steep increase in egalitarian attitudes in remarriages, prospective data from men and women indicate a curvilinear pattern over time that is distinct from patterns observed for continuously married and divorced/not remarried individuals.     

A Methodological Study of Family Cohesion and Adaptability*

In an attempt to locate clinically and empirically useful tools to measure family cohesion and adaptability, a modified multitrait-multimethod analysis was used to assess the validity of four separate instruments. These instruments include SIMFAM, an adaptation of the Bowerman and Bahr Identification Scale, the Moos Family Environment Scale, and the Kvebaek Family Sculpture lest. The data support the Family Sculpture Test as a useful clinical and research tool for the measurement of family cohesion but not of adaptability.     

Parents' Relationship Quality and Children's Behavior in Stable Married and Cohabiting Families

Although an extensive literature has shown that family structure is linked with child well‐being, less well understood is how the dynamics within families affect children, in particular the extent to which positive mother–father relationship quality is linked with children's outcomes. In this study the authors used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 773) to examine how couple supportiveness in stable coresident families is related to children's externalizing and internalizing behavioral problems over ages 3 through 9. Using latent growth curve and fixed effects models, they found that parents' greater supportiveness has a slight association with lower levels of children's behavioral problems. Using cross‐lagged structural equation models to examine the direction of the association, they also found some evidence that parents' relationship quality and children's behavioral problems are reciprocally related. Overall, this study suggests that more positive couple interactions are beneficial for children residing with both of their biological parents.     

Homemaking Practices and Evening Meals in Married and Separated Families with Young Children

A survey of 18 married and 18 separated or divorced mothers of preschoolers provided data for comparing their roles as homemakers and parents. In married families, the father was frequently absent from evening meals eaten at home, but mothers ate with their children with similar frequency. The two groups were similar in many aspects of homemaking practices and attitudes, but there were significant differences in the relationships involving mothers, children, and food. Families headed by separated or divorced women ate out more frequently and were more likely to eat in fast-food restaurants compared to intact families. Separated and divorced mothers were more likely toreport eating problems and to use food as a reward for good behavior with their preschoolers, while married women were more likely to consider table manners a peoblem. Records from seven consecutive evening meals showed no difference in the frequency of serving 29 foods from a 36-item food list.     

Attachment,Affective Responsiveness,and Cohesion in Adoptive Families: Child and Parent Perspectives

Some adoptive families are at risk for problems in family functioning. This study investigated the extent to which attachment to parents and affective responsiveness of the family predicted family cohesion and satisfaction with the adoptive family from both the child's and the parent's perspectives. Using a sample of 50 adopted children and their parents, our findings indicated that attachment to mother was salient in predicting children's perceptions of family cohesion and satisfaction with their adoptive family. Parental ratings of affective responsiveness of the family predicted parents' evaluation of family cohesion and their satisfaction with the adoption. As hypothesized, children and parents differed in their ratings of the cohesion and affective responsiveness of their family, with children reporting lower levels of these constructs than parents. Implications for practitioners and directions for future research are discussed.     

Representations of Attachment to Father in the Narratives of Preschool Girls in Post-Divorce Families: Implications for Family Relationships and Social Development

This study used the Attachment Story Completion Task-Revised (ASCT-R) (Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, 1990), a representational measure of attachment security, to examine characteristics of preschool-aged girls' narratives associated with portrayals of attachment to the father. The children's (n = 27) parents had been divorced or legally separated for at least 2 years, and they lived in the primary custody of their mothers. We had previously discovered that girls' responses to the ASCT-R differed from those of boys in unexpected ways. Whereas boys' representations of child-father attachment varied positively with teacher ratings of social behavior in child-care settings, the opposite was the case for girls. Girls who portrayed children's attachment to the father more frequently were rated lower in social competence, contrary to expectations. A more detailed analysis of responses to the ASCT-R suggests that girls' representational attachment behavior toward the father was associated with narrative representations of both parents as unavailable, family instability, and concerns for the father's well-being.     

Children’s Economic Well‐Being in Married and Cohabiting Parent Families

Increasingly, children are living with cohabiting parents. Prior work on the material well‐being of children living in cohabiting families is extended by including the biological relationship of children to adults, examining the racial and ethnic variations, and investigating the multiple indicators of material well‐being. We draw on the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families (N =34,509). Our findings suggest that children can potentially benefit from living with a cohabiting partner whose resources are shared with family members. Although children living with married rather than cohabiting parents fare better in terms of material well‐being, this advantage is accounted for by race and ethnic group and parents’ education. Marriage appears to provide more material advantages to White children than to Black or Latino children.     

Adolescent Well‐Being in Cohabiting,Married, and Single‐Parent Families

Cohabitation is a family form that increasingly includes children. We use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to assess the well‐being of adolescents in cohabiting parent stepfamilies (N= 13,231). Teens living with cohabiting stepparents often fare worse than teens living with two biological married parents. Adolescents living in cohabiting stepfamilies experience greater disadvantage than teens living in married stepfamilies. Most of these differences, however, are explained by socioeconomic circumstances. Teenagers living with single unmarried mothers are similar to teens living with cohabiting stepparents; exceptions include greater delinquency and lower grade point averages experienced by teens living with cohabiting stepparents. Yet mother's marital history explains these differences. Our results contribute to our understanding of cohabitation and debates about the importance of marriage for children.     

Cohesion,Satisfaction With Family Bonds,and Emotional Well‐Being in Families With Adolescents

The present paper investigated whether higher cohesion and satisfaction with family bonds were associated with the daily experience of emotional well‐being in varying social circumstances. Using a sample of school‐age adolescents (N = 95) and both their parents, data were gathered daily over 1 week using a diary approach in addition to self‐report instruments. Multilevel analyses revealed higher cohesion to be associated with well‐being in fathers and adolescents, but not in mothers. Parents also reported higher well‐being when with friends or colleagues than when alone. Moreover, fathers who scored higher on cohesion reported higher well‐being when with family members than when alone, whereas adolescents who scored higher on satisfaction with bonds reported lower well‐being when with peers or siblings than when alone.     

Families and Museums:

No abstract available for this article.