Blended Families
Ally Schnabel, Caroline Ciatti,
Leah Oliver, Violet Leiva
What is a
blended family?
“A social unit consisting
of two previously
married parents and the
children of their former
marriages”
 “Modern Family”
 “Step-Family”
 Extremes
Characteristics of Blended Families
Blended Families
 Presence of a stepparent,
stepsibling, or half-sibling
 One third of all weddings form
step-families
 Partner relationships
 Parent- child relationships
 Stepparent- child relationships
 Role ambiguity
is a relatively
new term and there are often
about the dynamics
and commonalities of them.
The
in this presentation are
based on typical management problems like
strains on marriage and finances
All
was obtained from scientific
and peer-reviewed research journals as well
as government websites.
Couples who remarry after divorce
are more likely to divorce again
• 70% of divorcees
remarry
• 60 % of remarriages fail.
And they do so even
more quickly than first
marriages
• 15 % of second marriages
end after 3 years and
almost 25% after 5 years
Research
 Rushing back into
marriage
 Thinking the partner
will change the
situation vs. changing
themselves
 Dealing with exes
children
Why?
Resources
 Counseling
- Stepfamilies and
remarriages need
to see specialized
counselors
- Not traditional
 Need to apply advice
to relationship
-Be patient, don’t
expect immediate
results
Blended families suffer from
financial difficulties
 Only 20% of people
discuss financial matters
before they remarry
- dangerous sign
- top source of strife
 Large number of children
- cost associated with
raising them
 Money paid to exes for
child support & alimony
Research
Solution
Strategies
 Separate checkbooks
- his, hers, ours
- gives each person a
sense of contribution
 Get help from a financial
advisor
- identify goals
-reasonable, achievable
outcomes
The REALITY
“There is no simple solution,
particularly when money
and memories are involved.
But planning and openness
are the best hope…”
Children who do not live with their
biological parents do worse/have
issues
• Dialectical opposition
between the “old family”
and the “new family”
• Families with a husband
or boyfriend present have
higher incomes than
families with a single
mother.
• Black teenagers living in
blended families generally
fare better than their
counterparts living with
single mothers.
Research
Why?
Family Management
Demands and Problems
 The “Nuclear Family” has been the template for families
within our society (15%), unrealistic expectations
 Unique aspects of blended families
- research currently relies on newlywed couples and firstmarried couples
 Lack of societal norms to follow
- communication, conflict and stress management
Public Policy
Establish programs and
education curricula that
target aspects unique to
blended families
1. Creating and maintaining a
solid group identity
2. Reducing inter-group bias
and achieve family harmony
3. Marital and parental role
negotiation
Community Resource
Ms. Linda Michels, MA.
Marriage and Family Therapist
3368 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 800-3916
Cost: $150 max on sliding scale
*Over 20 years of experience
The fact of the matter is that it
CAN work. The trick is figuring
out how to make it work.
References
• Adler-Baeder, F. & Higginbotham, B. (2004). Implications of
remarriage and stepfamily formation for marriage education.
Family Relations, 53, 448-458.
• Brotherson, S. E. & Duncan, W. C. (2004). Rebinding ties that bind:
Government efforts to preserve and promote marriage. Family
Relation, 53, 459-468.
• Portrie, Torey & Hill, Nicole (2005). Blended families: A critical
review of the current research. The Family Journal: Counseling and
Therapy for Couples and Families, 13(4), 445-451.
• PREP, Inc., (n.d.) Retrieved February 12, 2006, from
http://www.prepinc.com/main.
• Bumpass, Larry, and R. Kelly Raley. 1995. "Redefining SingleParent Families: Cohabitation and Changing Family Reality."
Demography 32 (February): 97–109.
References cont.
• National Center for Health Statistics (2002)
http://www.remarriage.com/Remarriage-Facts/failure-of-secondmarriages.html
• Psychology Today,
http://www.smartmarriages.com/remarrying.html
• http://www.todaysmodernfamily.com/index.php/tag/remarriagecounseling
• Schilling, E.A., Baucom, D. H., Burnett, C. K., Allen, E. S., &
Ragland, L. (2003). Journal of Family Psychology, 17(1), 41-53.
Ramsey & Masson, Stepparents Support of Stepchildren: A
Comparative Analysis of Policies and Problems in the American and
English Experience, 36 Syracuse l. REV 659, 681 (1985).
• Borrine, M. Lisa; Handal, Paul J, et al. Family conflict and
adolescent adjustment in intact, divorced, and blended families.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol 59(5), Oct 1991,
753-755.
References cont.
• Braithwaite, D. O., Olson, L. N., Golish, T. D., Soukup, C., &
Turman, P. (2001). 'Becoming a family': Developmental processes
represented in blended family discourse. Journal Of Applied
Communication Research, 29(3), 221-247.
doi:10.1080/00909880128112
• Bodenmann, G., Bradbury, T. N., & Pihet, S. (2009). Relative
contributions of treatment-related changes in communication skills
and dyadic coping skills to the longitudinal course of marriage in the
framework of marital distress prevention. Journal Of Divorce &
Remarriage, 50(1), 1-21. doi:10.1080/10502550802365391
• Bass, L. E., & Warehime, M. (2011). Family structure and child
health outcomes in the United States. Sociological Inquiry, 81(4),
527-548. doi:10.1111/j.1475-682X.2011.00391.x
• Bachman, H. J., Coley, R., & Carrano, J. (2012). Low-income
mothers' patterns of partnership instability and adolescents'
socioemotional well-being. Journal Of Family Psychology, 26(2),
263-273. doi:10.1037/a0027427
Any Questions?