Sex Differences in Stepchildren's Reports of Stepfamily Functioning

Abstract

This study examined sex differences in stepchildren's reports of stepfamily functioning. Participants included 513 stepchildren from 4 different states. Results of a 2 (stepson vs. stepdaughter) × 2 (stepfather vs. stepmother) factorial MANCOVA revealed no significant interaction effect, though multivariate main effects emerged for both sex of stepchild and primary stepparent after controlling for the effects of time. Stepsons reported less stepfamily involvement among family members than stepdaughters, and stepchildren who identified a stepfather as their primary stepparent reported less family dissension and avoidance, and more family involvement and expressiveness than those who identified a stepmother.

Keywords:

• Biological sex
• Dissension
• Evolutionary theory
• Involvement
• Relational schemas
• Stepchild
• Stepfamilies
• Stepfamily functioning
• Stepparent

The data reported in this study were part of the author's dissertation, completed under the direction of Dr. Dawn O. Braithwaite.

Notes

Note. Means in columns are significantly different at p < .01.

^a n = 336;

^b n = 177.

In Schrodt's (2006b) research, “primary” stepparent referred to the stepparent whom the stepchild had lived with the longest, or known the longest in the event that the stepchild had never resided with their stepparent(s).

The original sample consisted of 586 adult and adolescent stepchildren from four different states. Given wide variability in the age of participants (ranging from 13 to 55 years of age) and since the combined number of adolescents and adults over the age of 25 (n = 73) did not permit additional statistical analyses, the final sample was reduced to young adult stepchildren ranging in age from 18 to 25 (N = 513).

Given concerns over other demographic variables that could potentially influence the primary analyses for stepparent and stepchild sex (e.g., age, number of stepsiblings, primary caretakers, etc.), a series of tests were conducted to identify which demographic variables were associated with the four dimensions of stepfamily functioning. The two indices of time (i.e., age when stepfamily began and length of stepfamily membership) emerged as the only two demographic variables that were significantly associated with stepfamily functioning, and thus, only these two were entered as covariates in the primary analysis.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul Schrodt

Paul Schrodt (PhD, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2003) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University.