Stepfamily Processes and Youth Adjustment: The Role of Perceived Neighborhood Collective Efficacy

Abstract

Using a representative sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and a recently developed stepfamily‐process typology, this study explores three plausible functions of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy with respect to stepfamily life and youth adjustment: an ability to (1) prevent maladaptive patterns of stepfamily processes, (2) promote stepchildren's adjustment beyond the influence of stepfamily processes, and (3) protect stepchildren's adjustment when faced with maladaptive patterns of stepfamily processes. The results indicate that higher levels of perceived neighborhood collective efficacy are associated with more adaptive stepfamily processes and higher levels of youth self‐esteem over time, net the influence of stepfamily processes.

Collective Self-Esteem and School Segregation in Chilean Secondary Students

“…In this way, the use of the collective self-esteem construct within this study allows us to explain the mechanisms through which the student gives meaning to their activity within the framework of belonging to a determined group, based on the difference in the type of establishment in which they study. This difference is determined by the public policies of educational administration and the possibilities of school choice based on the socioeconomic level of individuals and communities, over which individuals have little or no influence in the case of the most vulnerable sectors (which generally correspond to the level of public education), but are important determinants of their sense of belonging and well-being, as processes based on social identification, facilitators of social incorporation and adaptation ( Long et al, 1994 ; Jetten et al, 2002 ; Jensen, 2020 ). The contribution of this study to the understanding of how variables of perception and development of the individual’s social identity are sustained in conditions of management of their educational context is important, considering the enormous social and cultural influence, as well as values, that membership in a particular school educational community involves.…”

Studying stepfamilies, surfacing secrets: A reflection on the private motivations behind efforts to humanize family complexity

“…Given that my work also involves identifying what family members themselves can do to ease family transitions, herein lies a tension in my work: I aim to empower family members by identifying what they can do to contribute to close step‐relationships or the positive development of stepfamily members and also recognize that the extent to which families struggle or thrive does not rest solely in the hands of family members (Sanner et al, 2022). The stressors that stepfamilies experience—and the extent to which they have the bandwidth to employ certain relational practices—are shaped by their environments (Jensen, 2020), including the extent to which families are supported at the local, state, and federal levels. Any discussion of family functioning is incomplete without recognizing that our systems, institutions, and governing officials play key roles in shaping and supporting communities that promote family well‐being.…”

Associations between Family Maltreatment Perpetration and Latent Profiles of Personal and Family Strengths among Active-Duty Air Force Members

“…Turning to family context, a sizable body of literature highlights the unique dynamics and demands experienced by stepfamilies-families in which one or both adult partners brings a child or children from a previous relationship (Ganong & Coleman, 2017). For instance, stepfamilies often grapple with disagreements between parents and stepparents with respect to parenting strategies, ambiguity around new stepfamily relationships, conflict between resident and non-resident parents, and shifts in relationship quality between parents and their children, among other challenges (Ganong & Coleman, 2017;Jensen, 2017Jensen, , 2020Jensen et al, 2014Jensen & Howard, 2015;Pace et al, 2015;Papernow, 2018;Shafer et al, 2013). Stepfamilies also yield important opportunities to cultivate meaningful family relationships that transcend biological ties (Papernow, 2013).…”