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The Influence of Role Strain on Stepfamily Adjustment  

Kim, Hyo-Soon (Department of Social Work, University Of Seoul)
Kim, Jung-Woo (Department of Social Work, Sungkyunkwan University)
Publication Information
International Journal of Human Ecology / v.10, no.2, 2009 , pp. 1-12 More about this Journal
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamics of stepfamilies and the adjustment difficulties such families may experience. The study describes some sociodemographic characteristics of a sample of 117 stepfamilies. The independent variables were stresses due to adjustment difficulties, which were defined as "role strains". Sociodemographic variables included gender, family income level, length of time since remarriage, type of stepfamily, and the existence of any children born to the new marriage. The dependent variable was the extent of stepfamily adjustment, expressed as a scale. The factors influencing family adjustment included stepparent gender, family income level, type of stepfamily, and various role strain variables (family boundary ambiguity, role conflict, etc.). Practical recommendations for social work are made and possibilities for future research in this area are discussed based on the results of this study.
Keywords
stepfamily; role strain; family adjustment;
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