Understanding the Stepmother's Role – Quantifying
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UNDERSTANDING THE STEPMOTHER’S ROLE – QUANTIFYING THE IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH. HOW STEPMOTHERS’ ADAPTABILITY IS MEDIATED BY COPING STYLE, SOCIAL SUPPORT AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION LISA JANE DOODSON A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULLFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THAMES VALLEY UNIVERSITY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY MARCH 2009 1 ABSTRACT Growth in stepfamily research in recent years has mirrored the growth in the number of stepfamilies in society, however research specific to the role of the stepmother has been recognised to be limited (Coleman, Ganong & Fine, 2000). This study has been designed to address this limitation by conducting a mixed methods approach to research on stepmothers in order to understand the effects of the stepmother role on women’s wellbeing. The research was conducted on a representative stepmother sample of two hundred and fifty stepmothers and eighty biological mothers. The sample was further segmented by residency of the stepchildren and family complexity, to identify differences both between stepmothers and biological mothers, and between different types of stepmother. Results indicated that stepmothers display significantly higher depression and anxiety than biological mothers together with lower perceived social support when compared with biological mothers, particularly from extended family and friends. They were also found to engage in significantly more maladaptive coping mechanisms than biological mothers. The adaptability of stepmothers to their role was found to be predicted by their satisfaction in their spousal relationship and the length of the relationship. The findings from the qualitative study suggested that stepmothers’ anxiety was predominantly related to the presence of the biological mother, the stepchildren and the inherent difficulties with the role itself; with social support from extended family members also affected by the enduring relationship between the stepmother’s in-laws and the biological mother. Further significant differences between the four identified types of stepmother were also found leading to the recommendation that future research recognises and distinguishes between stepmother led families, based on their family complexity and the residency of the stepchildren. The evidence overwhelmingly identifies an urgent need for stepfamily interventions that will facilitate the development of more effective functioning stepfamily units via education and support. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful for the help and support throughout this research of my supervisors, Dr Kathryn Mitchell and Dr David Morley. I would also like to extend my thanks to Professor Marilyn Coleman who acted in the capacity of an external advisor on the research. Her extensive knowledge of stepfamily research was invaluable. Finally, I would like to thank all the stepmothers who took part in the research, who willingly shared their experiences as stepmothers, in the hope that they could help others in similar circumstances. 3 Table of contents CHAPTER 1 10 A Review of Stepmother Related Research .................................................................................. 10 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 10 1.2. Generic Family/Stepfamily Research Models............................................................. 12 1.2.1 Evolutionary / Biosocial Perspective ........................................................................ 13 1.2.2 Family Boundary Ambiguity..................................................................................... 14 1.2.3 Family Systems Theory ............................................................................................. 15 1.2.4 Role Theory ............................................................................................................... 15 1.2.5 Comprehensive Multidimensional Models ............................................................... 16 1.2.6 Intergroup Conflict ................................................................................................... 17 1.2.7 Stepfamily Cycle ........................................................................................................ 17 1.2.8 Gender Stratification Perspective ............................................................................. 18 1.2.9 Interdependence Perspective ..................................................................................... 19 1.2.10 Problem Oriented versus Normative Perspective ................................................ 20 1.2.11 Summary of Stepfamily Research Models ........................................................... 22 1.3 Stepfamily Types ........................................................................................................... 23 1.4 Stresses within Stepfamilies ......................................................................................... 27 1.5 Mental health wellbeing of Stepfamilies ..................................................................... 28 1.6 Quality of Life within Stepfamilies .............................................................................. 31 1.7 Marital satisfaction within stepfamilies ...................................................................... 32 1.8 Mediating Factors to the Stepfamily Roles ................................................................. 34 1.8.1 Age and sex of Stepchildren ...................................................................................... 35 1.8.2 Mutual children ......................................................................................................... 36 1.8.3 Stepfamily Complexity ............................................................................................... 37 1.8.4 Residency of Stepchildren ......................................................................................... 38 1.8.5 Length of Relationship .............................................................................................. 39 1.8.6 Attachment Style ........................................................................................................ 40 1.8.7 Coping Skills within Stepfamilies ............................................................................. 41 1.9 Dynamics of a successful stepfamily ............................................................................ 42 1.10 Critical Evaluation and Summary of Existing Literature ......................................... 45 CHAPTER 2 50 Development of Research Hypotheses and Design ..................................................................... 50 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 50 2.2 Identifying a representative stepfamily sample .......................................................... 51 2.3 Differentiation between stepfamily types .................................................................... 54 2.4 Stepfamily Research Models ........................................................................................ 55 4 2.5 Evaluation of research limitations and of current research ...................................... 56 2.6 Aims of the research ..................................................................................................... 57 2.7 Research variables ........................................................................................................ 59 2.8 Research question and hypotheses .............................................................................. 62 2.9 Design methodology ...................................................................................................... 64 2.10 Project Phases ............................................................................................................... 66 2.11 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER 3 70 The Design and Administration of Survey Instruments ............................................................. 70 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 70 3.2 Item Generation ............................................................................................................ 70 3.2.1 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 71 3.2.2 Focus Groups ............................................................................................................ 71 3.2.3 Key Informant Interviews ......................................................................................... 72 3.2.4 Expert Opinion or Review ......................................................................................... 73 3.3 Pre-testing methods ...................................................................................................... 73 3.3.1 A pilot or Trial study ................................................................................................. 74 3.3.2 Cognitive Interviews .................................................................................................. 75 3.3.3 Behaviour coding ...................................................................................................... 76 3.3.4 Response Latency .....................................................................................................