Stepfamilies and Stepparenting

Millions of children in Britain now grow up in stepfamilies, but little is reliably known about their experiences of stepfamily life--or why some of these young people encounter problems in the long run while other flourish. This is a new, pioneering, multidisciplinary study that tracks the lives of fifty children born in 1958, offering unique insights into the long-term effects of stepfamily life in the UK today. It will interest many scholars and students of sociology, social policy, public policy/administration, and psychology.

Debates about the family have often focused on the idealized family of the 1950s-middle class - two parents & two children. This book looks at the majority of American families who do not live this ideal, including divorced families & step-families.

Focusing on the kinds of networks that most adequately meet adolescent needs, Stinson conducts thirty in-depth interviews with adolescents and their custodial parents. She divides interviews evenly between those living with biological parents, with divorced mother, and with mother and stepfather. Empirical results are applied to guiding questions: How are adolescent social support networks affected by parental divorce and remarriage? What are the impacts of network size and structure on adolescents' well-being? For researchers and practitioners in adolescent well-being, divorce, and remarriage counseling.