RELATIONSHIP OF FAMILY PROCESSES TO FAMILY LIFE SATISFACTION IN STEPFAMILIES AND BIOLOGICAL FAMILIES DURING PREGNANCY.
Contributors: Wayne State University.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 203
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Sociology, Individual and Family Studies.
Description: The purposes of this study were to: (a) test the predicted relationships between family coping action, family interaction, internal and external family coping strategies, family adaptability and cohesion, and family life satisfaction for stepfamily and biological family husbands, wives, and couples in the third trimester of pregnancy; (b) determine the predictive ability of the above variables on family life satisfaction; and (c) describe differences between stepfamily and biological families during the third trimester of pregnancy. Imogene King's conceptual framework for nursing and the empirical literature provided the basis for the relationships between the study variables. Indicators of the variables and variable measures were: (a) Family Coping Action (Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, F-COPES), (b) Family Interaction (Distance from the Center Score on the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, FACES III), (c) Internal Family Coping Strategies (Reframing and Passive Appraisal subscales of the F-COPES instrument), (d) External Family Coping Strategies (Acquiring Social Support, Seeking Spiritual Support, and Mobilizing the Family to Acquire and Accept Help subscales of the F-COPES instrument), (e) Family Adaptability (Family Adaptability subscale of the FACES III instrument), (f) Family Cohesion (Family Cohesion subscale of the FACES III instrument), (g) and Family Life Satisfaction Scale (FLSS) developed for this study.

The descriptive, two group comparison, one-time only design used a convenience sample of 40 stepfamily couples and 40 biological family couples with wives in the third trimester of pregnancy, and at least one child under the age of 18 living in the home. Stepfamily couples were experiencing a joint-birth for the first time; and biological family couples were not experiencing a first-time birth. Data were collected from both husbands and wives during in-home interviews.

Two separate theoretical models emerged from the study findings. Internal family coping strategies and moderate adaptability had a direct and positive effect on family life satisfaction for stepfamily husbands, wives, and couples. Greater adaptability and cohesion together (i.e., family interaction) had a direct and positive effect of family life satisfaction for biological family couples. Stepfamilies are seen as "creating" families. Biological families are seen as "established" families. Nursing interventions for expectant stepfamilies and biological families were identified from these findings.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-03, Section: B, page: 1196.

Thesis (PH.D.)--WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY, 1989.

School code: 0254.