School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Fam Process. 2019 Jun;58(2):384-403. doi: 10.1111/famp.12348. Epub 2018 Mar 9.
Stepfamilies are an increasingly common family form, many of which are headed by a resident mother and stepfather. Stepfather-child relationships exert notable influence on stepfamily stability and individual well-being. Although various stepfather roles have been observed, more research is warranted by which stepfather-child interactions are explored holistically and across a variety of life domains (e.g., recreational, personal, academic, and disciplinary). Thus, the primary purpose of the current study is to explore varying interactional patterns between youth and their stepfathers. A latent class analysis is conducted using a representative sample of 1,183 youth (53% female; mean age = 15.64 years, SD = 1.70 years; 62% non-Hispanic White) residing in mother-stepfather families from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Latent-class enumeration processes support a four-class solution, with latent classes representing inactive, academically oriented, casually connected, and versatile and involved patterns of youth-stepparent interaction. Notable differences and similarities are evident across patterns with respect to family relationship quality, youth well-being, and socio-demographic characteristics. Differences are most stark between the inactive and versatile and involved patterns. Ultimately, the results showcase notable variation in youth-stepparent interactional patterns, and one size does not necessarily fit all stepfamilies. Family practitioners should be mindful of variation in youth-stepparent interactional patterns and assist stepfamilies in seeking out stepparent-child dynamics that are most compatible with the needs and dynamics of the larger family system.
继父家庭是一种越来越常见的家庭形式，其中许多家庭由一位常住母亲和继父组成。继父与继子女的关系对继父家庭的稳定和个体的幸福有着显著的影响。尽管已经观察到了各种继父角色，但更需要研究的是，整体和跨各种生活领域（如娱乐、个人、学术和纪律）探索继父与继子女的互动关系。因此，本研究的主要目的是探索青少年与其继父之间不同的互动模式。使用全国青少年纵向研究从第一波中抽取的具有代表性的 1183 名青少年（53%为女性；平均年龄为 15.64 岁，标准差为 1.70 岁；62%为非西班牙裔白人）的样本进行潜在类别分析，这些青少年居住在母亲-继父家庭中。潜在类别枚举过程支持四种解决方案，潜在类别代表青少年与继父母互动的不活跃、学术导向、随意联系和多才多艺且参与模式。不同模式在家庭关系质量、青少年幸福感和社会人口统计学特征方面存在显著差异和相似之处。在不活跃和多才多艺且参与模式之间存在最明显的差异。最终，结果展示了青少年与继父母互动模式的显著差异，一刀切并不一定适用于所有继父家庭。家庭医生应该注意青少年与继父母互动模式的变化，并帮助继父家庭寻找最符合更大家庭系统需求和动态的继子女动态。
