Children's Views on Stepparents: A Review of Stepfamily Research

Introduction

Stepfamilies form when two consenting adults enter a marriage or cohabiting relationship in which one or both partners have children from a previous relationship. American children are commonly raised in such arrangements (Jensen & Howard, 2015). Demographic studies estimate that a third of all children will live in a stepfamily before they turn 18. Research has shown that the perspectives of parents and society in general have dominated the stepfamily literature when it comes to family transitions. Several major publications on remarriage and stepfamily life support this observation (Jensen & Howard, 2015).

While such reviews have made positive contributions by establishing concrete findings, highlighting commonly used methods, and providing direction for future work, the perspective of stepchildren has not received adequate focus. This is a significant omission, because the building of a mutually enriching stepchild–parent relationship lies at the heart of stepfamily stability. Most of the existing literature addresses the stepchild–parent relationship in a way that excludes the child's voice, with findings typically drawn from the viewpoints of stepparents alone. This paper reviews and assesses the studies carried out on children's perceptions of their stepparents.

Literature Review

In a study conducted by Lardier Jr. et al. (2017) to examine the relationship dynamics between adult stepchildren and both their biological parents and their stepparents, the researchers also sought to establish the level of life satisfaction among adult stepchildren, the quality of their marriages in adulthood, and the moderating role of the stepparent's gender. The sample comprised 215 adult stepchildren drawn from Wave 3 of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH). Results showed that both stepparents and biological mothers affected the life satisfaction of adult stepchildren, regardless of the type of stepfamily. Moreover, the effect of the child–parent relationship on the adult child's marital quality varied depending on the type of stepfamily. Notably, a positive correlation was found between the quality of the stepmother–child relationship and the marital quality experienced by the child in adulthood. The reverse pattern was observed for children raised in stepfather households.

Cartwright, Farnsworth, and Mobley (2009) studied the narratives of children describing their relationships with stepparents in order to understand the nature of those relationships during childhood and adolescence, as well as the parenting practices that children found positive or undesirable. Drawing on the Life Stories and Family Transitions framework, they concluded that children raised in stepfamily settings are more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems than those raised by both biological parents. The findings underscore the critical role stepparents play in shaping children's futures. In particular, the study encourages stepparents to develop positive relationships with their stepchildren before attempting to assume active parenting roles. When stepparents take time to understand their stepchildren and demonstrate genuine acceptance, they can have a far-reaching positive impact on those children's lives, even into adulthood.

King, Boyd, and Thorsen (2015) examined how family systems theory informed family characteristics and perceptions among adolescents in stepfather households (N = 2,085). The study focused specifically on how perceptions of family belonging relate to the nature of ties among family members. The researchers focused on stepfather families because the majority of children living in stepfamily settings reside with a stepfather. The study also acknowledged that many families experience a decline in parenting quality as children enter adolescence, with conflict tending to increase during this period — a dynamic that can become more pronounced in stepfamily relationships. Data came from the first wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), and structural equation modeling was used because of the multiple pathways proposed and the latent constructs embedded in the conceptual model. Findings showed that not only the perceived quality of the stepfather–child relationship but also that of the mother–adolescent relationship was strongly associated with adolescents' sense of family belonging.

Jensen and Harris (2017) sought to examine the quality of relationships between mothers and children, stepfathers and adolescent children, and the hypothesis concerning stepfamily resilience, as well as the levels of depression experienced by individuals who lived through these relationships during adolescence. Data were supplied by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), drawn from in-home interviews and questionnaires at Wave 1 and in-home interviews at Wave 3 (2001–2002; n = 15,197, ages 18–26) and Wave 4 (2008–2009; n = 15,709). A nationally representative subsample of 758 adolescents served as the basis for studying both the concurrent and long-term influences of stepfather–child, mother–child, and nonresident father–child relationship quality — as well as step-couple relationship quality — on stepchildren's depression across developmental stages. Longitudinal structural equation modeling demonstrated that the quality of both the mother–child and stepfather–child relationships reduced depression in adolescence and showed an indirect relationship with depressive outcomes in adulthood.

Conclusion

Relatively few studies have focused on children's own perspectives regarding their stepparents, and this gap is understandable given the complexity and sensitivity of the research context. The studies reviewed here nonetheless offer important insights. Stepparent–child relationship quality is consistently associated with meaningful outcomes for children, including life satisfaction, depression, and sense of family belonging. Stepparents who invest in understanding and accepting their stepchildren before assuming parenting roles tend to have a more positive long-term influence on those children's lives.

Future research should make greater efforts to include the voices of children and adolescents directly, while carefully addressing the ethical and methodological challenges involved. Doing so would produce a more complete and accurate picture of stepfamily dynamics and better inform support services for these families.

References

Cartwright, C., Farnsworth, V., & Mobley, V. (2009). Relationships with stepparents in the life stories of young adults of divorce. Family Matters, (82), 30.

Jensen, T. M., & Harris, K. M. (2017). Stepfamily relationship quality and stepchildren's depression in adolescence and adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 5(3), 191–203.

Jensen, T. M., & Howard, M. O. (2015). Perceived stepparent–child relationship quality: A systematic review of stepchildren's perspectives. Marriage & Family Review, 51(2), 99–153.

King, V., Boyd, L. M., & Thorsen, M. L. (2015). Adolescents' perceptions of family belonging in stepfamilies. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(3), 761–774.

Lardier Jr., D. T., Van Eeden-Moorefield, B., Nacer, C., Hull, R., & Browning, S. (2017). Relationships between (step)parents and adult (step)children: Explaining influences on life satisfaction and marital quality. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 58(6), 430–446.

Payton, S. R. (2018). An exploration of the quality of the relationship between stepchildren and stepparents based on address term usage (Master's thesis).