Parents’ perceptions of cohesion in diverse stepfamilies

Objective

The goal was to assess how cohesive parents perceive their stepfamilies to be and to explain how cohesion relates to aspects of stepfamily structure.

Background

Cohesion is important to study as it can bolster the well-being of stepfamily members. Prior research has mostly considered relationship qualities as predictors of cohesion. Little is known about differences in cohesion by family structure (i.e., whether parents have a shared child, whether the stepfamily is simple or complex, and in which households the respective children live).

Method

We analyzed data from a sample of Dutch divorced parents (N = 3,056) using linear regression.

Results

Parents perceived their stepfamilies as very cohesive. Having a shared child with the current partner was associated with higher perceptions of cohesion, whereas having a stepchild was associated with lower perceptions of cohesion. Non- or part-time residency of parents' biological child from their previous relationship or their potential stepchild was associated with lower perceptions of cohesion. Cohesion was lowest in complex stepfamilies in which parents' biological children and potential stepchildren followed nonaligning residence arrangements.

Conclusion

Aspects of stepfamily structure appear to affect perceptions of stepfamily cohesion. These findings imply that well-being of stepfamily members in complicated stepfamily structures might be lower.

Implications

To understand stepfamily cohesion and design therapeutic approaches for stepfamilies, it is crucial to look beyond relationship qualities and explicitly consider the role of stepfamily structure.