Stepfamily Relationships: Development, Dynamics, and Interventions

The proliferation of divorces and remarriages at the end of the 20th century has made the concept of the stepfamily a common one in today's society. In the U.S., for example, half of all marriages are remarriages for one or both partners, and nearly one-third of the children in the U.S. will spend some time living in a stepparent household before they reach adulthood. Relationships within these blended families have their own characteristics, and much is known about their development. Despite advances in both research and clinical interventions, however, there has been little synthesis of knowledge beneficial to both investigators and practitioners.
Stepfamily Relationships: Development, Dynamics, and Interventions offers what has so far been missing in the field - a comprehensive, multidisciplinary text that provides a state-of-the-art look at this important facet of family study. This volume examines the variety of relationships within step-households as well as between households, focusing on internal family dynamics while maintaining a cultural and historical viewpoint. The diversity and complexity of families is emphasized throughout, including gay and lesbian stepfamilies, stepfamilies of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds, and stepfamilies across the life course. It will be a welcome text and reference for all those who study and work with stepfamilies and families in general.