Linking Stepfamily Functioning, Marital Quality, and Steprelationship Quality

• Author: Lawrence Ganong,Marilyn Coleman,Caroline Sanner,Ashton Chapman,Luke Russell,Todd Jensen
• Date: 01 October 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12380
• Published date: 01 October 2019

L G University of Missouri

T J University of North Carolina

C S University of British Columbia

L R Illinois State University

M C University of Missouri

A C Social Grove, Inc.

Linking Stepfamily Functioning, Marital Quality,

and Steprelationship Quality

Objective: To examine whether marital dynam-

ics within remarried couples (in the form

of perceived quality and condence) or per-

ceptions of stepparent–stepchild relationship

quality were more strongly associated with

stepfamily functioning.

Background: Stepfamilies are common in the

United States, and identifying factors central to

healthy stepfamily functioning is an important

task. Some stepfamily clinicians contend that

steprelationships may be more closely related

to overall stepfamily functioning than remar-

riage quality,although empirical support for this

assertion is limited.

Method: Heterosexual remarried couples

(N=291) responded to online surveys ask-

ing about marital quality, marital condence,

stepparent–stepchild relationship quality, and

stepfamily functioning (i.e., stepfamily cohe-

sion, expressiveness, and harmony). Data were

analyzed using actor–partner interdependence

Department of Human Development and Family Science,

University of Missouri, 314 Genrty Hall, Columbia, MO

65201 (ganongl@missouri.edu).

Key Words: afnity, APIM, marital quality, remarriage,

stepchild, stepfamily, stepparent.

modeling in a structural equation modeling

framework.

Results: Marital dynamics were somewhat more

strongly associated with stepfamily functioning

than stepparent–stepchild relationship quality,

although both were positively associated with

stepfamily functioning. Condence in the future

of the marriage had a slightly stronger associa-

tion with stepfamily functioning than did mar-

ital quality. Actor effects were more often sta-

tistically associated with stepfamily functioning

than were partner effects for both stepparents

and biological parents.

Conclusion: Findings validate a family systems

approach to strengthening stepfamily func-

tioning by highlighting the joint and unique

contributions of both marital dynamics and

stepparent–stepchild relationship quality.

Implications: Clinicians and educators work-

ing with stepfamilies should attend to both pro-

moting positive, emotionally close steprelation-

ships and strong marital bonds and condence

in higher order marriages.

Family scientists have long been committed to

identifying characteristics of well-functioning

families. Likewise, family systems theorists

Family Relations 68 (October 2019): 469–483 469

DOI:10.1111/fare.12380