STEPFATHERS WITH MINOR CHILDREN LIVING AT HOME - PARENTING PERCEPTIONS AND RELATIONSHIP QUALITY

This study uses data from the National Survey of Families and Households to examine stepfathers' perceptions about their stepfather role and the quality of their relationship with their oldest minor stepchild living at home. The sample includes 195 stepfathers coresiding with a spouse or nonlegal partner. Results indicate that these stepfathers have diverse perceptions about seven different aspects of the stepfather role. Almost 52% of stepfathers disagree at least somewhat with the notion that it is harder to love stepchildren than your own children while 33% report that it is at least somewhat true that they are more like a friend than a parent to their stepchildren. Stepfathers who (a) live with both step- and biological children in the same household, (b) become a father figure to younger children, and (c) are happy with their marital/cohabitating partner are most likely to report having "fatherlike" perceptions. These data do not support hypotheses that predict that family structure variables and child's gender will be significant predictors of stepfather-stepchild relationship quality. However, stepfathers who have more fatherlike perceptions, socialization-values that emphasize conformity to external authority and obedience, and a wife/partner who bas a positive relationship with her eldest child report having a more positive relationship with their stepchildren.