A Risk and Resiliency Model of Ambiguous Loss in Postdivorce Stepfamilies

Abstract

This study examined the role of ambiguous loss in postdivorce stepfamilies, developing a grounded theory of individual, familial, and environmental risk and resiliency factors that mediate it. Qualitative interviews with 81 stepfamily members provided the foundation for the theoretical framework. More specifically, the interviews revealed three types of ambiguous loss: (a) the loss of one's previous family form and traditional nuclear family ideal, (b) the loss of a single-parent bond, and (c) the loss of a noncustodial parent-child bond. Taken together, the severity of the ambiguous loss, individuals' perceptions of control over it, the communication among family members, and the contextual factors surrounding divorce and remarriage, were combined to develop a conceptual model of family members' communicative responses to the loss that can guide future research.