An Exploratory Investigation of Parenting Practices in Stepfamilies

Researchers have concluded that children in stepfamilies are at increased risk of negative outcomes compared to children in first-marriage families (Amato, 2006; Bray, 1999; Coleman, Ganong & Fine, 2000; Hetherington & Kelly, 2002); and, also compared to children in sole-parent families in the areas of educational achievement, early-home leaving, and early sexual activity (Rodgers & Pryor, 1998). On the other hand, some parents, stepparents and children appear to find ways of relating to each other that are adaptive and established stepfamilies can provide good environments for child and adolescent development (Hetherington, 1999; Hetherington & Kelly, 2002). Despite the increased risks of negative child outcomes and the importance of biological parents to children, recent reviews have concluded that stepfamily researchers have given little attention to parenting and parent-child relationships in stepfamilies and instead have focused more on stepparent-child relationships and child outcomes (Cartwright, 2008; Coleman et al., 2000). Much of what we know about parents' experiences of raising children in stepfamily situations comes from longitudinal studies that have examined all stepfamily relationships (e.g., Hetherington & Kelly, 2002; Bray, 1999). This current study allows for an exploratory investigation of a number of areas of parenting in New Zealand stepfamilies. It is part of a larger study, Couples Experiences in Repartnered (Step) Families, in which 99 stepfamily adults completed an online questionnaire that explored a number of different aspects of living in a stepfamily, including couples' preparation for repartnering and the challenges and rewards of parenting and stepparenting. A section of the questionnaire was completed by parents only (not stepparents). This section explored four areas that have emerged as important in overseas research and the results allow for a comparison with overseas studies. These areas include parents' preparation for the parent and stepparent roles; the discipline of children in the early stages of stepfamily formation; the childcare activities carried out by parents and stepparents; and, the areas of disagreement between parents and children. The background to each of these areas will be discussed. The challenges of parenting in a stepfamily Although authoritative parenting is associated with positive adjustment of children in all types of families, including stepfamilies, parents in stepfamilies are less likely to parent authoritatively (Hetherington & Kelly, 2002). Selection factors may account, in part, for this finding; that is, there may be a greater proportion of parents with personal difficulties in the repartnered population. However, parents who repartner after separation or divorce experience a further family transition with its associated stresses, challenges and changes. This transition involves a reorganization of family roles, rules, and the development of new step-relationships (Hetherington, 1999; Papernow, 2006), and these changes can place stress on parent-child relationships (Cartwright, 2008). Parent-child relationships in stepfamilies Early evidence of problems in parent-child relationships emerged from the first longitudinal study in the USA that investigated stepfamily relationships in the 26 months after remarriage (Hetherington and Clingempeel, 1992). The researchers found that relationships between mothers and children were disrupted during the first two years and were more conflicted than those in non-divorced and established sole-parent families. Parenting by mothers had mostly recovered after two years, although children in stepfamilies still had more adjustment difficulties compared to those in non-divorced families (Hetherington & Clingempeel, 1992). Similarly, Bray and associates (Bray, 1999; Bray & Kelly, 1998) in the longitudinal Developmental Issues in Stepfamilies Study (DIS) found that relationships between parents and children were often fraught in the early months of stepfamily formation. …