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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Holiday Warriors: Coping with Step-Family Tension during the Holidays
Fort Lauderdale (Davie), Fla.—Recent Census data revealed that 1300 new stepfamilies form every day in the United States. Sadly, two-thirds of these step relationships fail, often due to marital tension regarding the children in the family. A study published in the December 2009 issue of The Qualitative Report published by Nova Southeastern University explores the unique and complex communication challenges for a couple made up of the nonresidential parent and his or her spouse.
Because nonresidential parents do not have primary custody of their children, they are sometimes referred to as “weekend warriors.” With the holiday season at hand, many of these weekend warriors will be “holiday warriors.” Becky L. DeGreeff and Ann Burnett discuss the battles that can occur in stepfamilies and how couples cope with these tensions. The authors used relational dialectical theory as the foundation for their study, exploring how these couples negotiate the contradictory impulses of wanting to be independent yet connected and wanting to be open yet private as they deal with marital and family challenges.
The study was conducted via interviews with each couple together and separately. Among its findings, the study shows that honesty is not always the best policy when it comes to the nonresidential parent sharing feelings with children about an ex-spouse, or the stepparent sharing feelings about the stepchildren with his or her spouse. The study also shows that the stepparent in the nonresidential household has the best chance of a close relationship with his or her stepchildren if they are very young or no longer live at home.
This study is published in the December 2009 issue of The Qualitative Report. The article demonstrates the value of employing qualitative research to gain a better understanding of the concerns and needs of blended families. You can read this and other articles of interest at http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR14-4/index.html.
Becky L. DeGreeff can be reached at Becky.Degreeff@ndsu.edu
Ann Burnett can be reached at Ann.Burnett@ndsu.edu
Contact:
Felecia Henderson
(954) 262-5315, fhenders@nova.edu
Ron Chenail, Ph.D.
(954) 262-5389, ron@nova.edu