Adolescents' Perceptions of Family Belonging in Stepfamilies

Abstract

Prior research has established that adolescents’ perceptions of family belonging are associated with a range of well-being indicators and that adolescents in stepfamilies report lower levels of family belonging than adolescents in two-biological-parent families. Yet, we know little regarding what factors are associated with adolescents’ perceptions of family belonging in stepfamilies. Guided by family systems theory, the authors addressed this issue by using nationally representative data (Add Health) to examine the associations between family characteristics and adolescents’ perceptions of family belonging in stepfather families (N = 2,085). Results from structural equation models revealed that both the perceived quality of the stepfather–adolescent relationship, and in particular the perceived quality of the mother–adolescent relationship, were the factors most strongly associated with feelings of family belonging.

The adolescent family environment and cohabitation across the transition to adulthood

“…This scale has been used previously by family scholars examining family belonging (King, Boyd, & Thorsen, 2015; King & Boyd, 2016). Early analyses examining the associations between family belonging and union formation and stability suggested that these associations were non-linear; differences were greatest comparing those with particularly low levels of family belonging to others, when treating this variable as a continuous measure the incremental effects across the range of family belonging were not clear.…”

Continuity and Change in Stepfather–Stepchild Closeness Between Adolescence and Early Adulthood

“…Although the quality of an individual's relationships with each family member undoubtedly influences perceptions of family belonging, feelings of belonging are conceptually distinct from these dyadic relationships. Empirical evidence supports this distinction (King, Boyd, & Thorsen, ).…”

Father Reflections on Doing Family in Stepfamilies

“…In any case, our results demonstrate the leading role fathers take in their stepfamily when doing family and thus provide a tentative indication that not only mothers should be seen as responsible for establishing and maintaining family relationships in stepfamilies (King, Boyd, & Thorsen, 2015). As our results suggest, fathers in stepfamilies also assume the role of mediator and interpreter, indicating that parents' central position in the stepfamily should be considered a characteristic of the role of the biological parent in a stepfamily, rather than a sole artifact of the cultural ideology of the motherhood myth (King, Boyd, & Thorsen, 2015;Weaver & Coleman, 2010). However, these conclusions are tentative given that they depend on solely two qualitative studies that focused on the perspective of biological parents in stepfamilies.…”

“…Despite extensive coverage of research on the experiences of stepparents and stepchildren, only a few studies have explicitly investigated the experiences of resident biological parents (Weaver & Coleman, 2010). However, both quantitative research based on a nationally representative sample of adolescents in stepfather families within the United States (King, Amato, & Lindstrom, 2015;King, Boyd, & Thorsen, 2015;King et al, 2014) and qualitative research (Pylyser et al, 2018) have suggested that biological parents are key to the formation and development of stepfamily relationships and closeness, given their connecting role as parent and partner in the stepfamily.…”