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Researching Children’s Adjustment in Stepfamilies: How is it Studied? What Do we Learn?

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Abstract

The probability that children whose parents have separated will become members of a stepfamily has increased considerably in the last decades. This situation has encouraged researchers to document the impact of this family transition on children’s adjustment. The present article examines empirical publications on this subject between 2000 and 2015. Screening and eligibility assessment based on inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a final sample of 130 studies. The theoretical models used by the authors are described and discussed, with particular attention to how theories are relied upon in this field of research. Second, an examination of the methodology applied allowed us to take a critical look at the way children’s outcomes were examined. The studies’ main results were then analyzed so as to draw up a contemporary portrait of how stepfamily children adjust. Finally, an examination of the studies’ limitations and theoretical foundations points to avenues for future research.

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Notes

  1. A comparison of references identified through these databases shows that the use of the Social Sciences Citation Index database does not offer any additional references.

  2. Generally, studies use married, biological, two-parent families as the reference group.

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible through the financial support of the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and the Community-University Research Alliances program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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  1. École de travail social et de criminologie, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck-Université Laval, Bureau 6427, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec City, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Marie-Christine Saint-Jacques, Élisabeth Godbout, Sylvie Drapeau, Toula Kourgiantakis & Claudine Parent

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Saint-Jacques, MC., Godbout, É., Drapeau, S. et al. Researching Children’s Adjustment in Stepfamilies: How is it Studied? What Do we Learn?. Child Ind Res 11, 1831–1865 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-017-9510-7

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