Tyler B. Jamison

Divorced mothers’ coparental boundary maintenance after parents repartner.

When divorced parents remarry or cohabit with new partners, it is challenging to maintain functional postdivorce coparenting systems. In this grounded theory study of 19 divorced mothers, we examined the processes by which they maintained boundaries around coparental relationships after 1 or both coparents had repartnered. Mothers saw themselves as captains of the coparenting team, making decisions about who should play what roles in parenting their children. They viewed themselves as having primary responsibility for their children, and they saw their childrens fathers as important coparenting partners. Mothers used a variety of strategies to preserve boundaries around the coparental subsystem when either they or their ex-husbands repartnered. Stepparents became more active participants in coparenting when: (a) mothers perceived them to be adequate caregivers, (b) biological parents were able to cooperatively coparent, (c) mothers perceived the fathers as good parents and responsible fathers, and (d) mothers felt secure as the primary parents. When all 4 conditions were present, mothers were likely to expand the coparental subsystem to include new partners. If any of these conditions were not present, mothers resisted including stepparents as part of the child rearing team. The findings from this study highlight how coparental roles in a nonclinical sample of families develop and change; mothers often modify coparenting boundaries over time to include stepparents.

Assessing differences in intimate partner obligations based on relationship status, gender, and parental status

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of relationship status (i.e., cohabiting or married), gender, and parental status on perceptions about intimate partner obligations. In vignettes depicting various aspects of couple relationships, we measured the effects of relationship status, gender, and parental status on partner obligations, obtaining quantitative and qualitative data. Married couples were perceived to have greater obligations to one another than cohabitors when issues involved potential relationship transitions. Women were perceived to be more obligated than men to support a partners career change. Open-ended responses indicated that marriage is an important factor in shaping perceived intimate partner obligations, but love, commitment, and intimacy also are important in motivating relationship-enhancing behaviors.

Identifying Demographic and Attitudinal Correlates of Young Adults’ Safer-Sex Self-Efficacy

ABSTRACT Objectives: Using data from young-adult college students (N = 207), we identified demographic and attitudinal correlates of safer-sex self-efficacy. Female respondents reported higher levels of safer-sex self-efficacy than males. Methods: Participants completed a self-report survey about their sexual attitudes, values, and experiences. Results: In regression analyses only, the importance of safer-sex practices was related to safer sex self-efficacy in both men and women. Womens safersex self-efficacy was associated with additional demographic factors and sexual beliefs. Conclusions: The factors identified in this study may serve as intervention targets for young-adult sexual health programs. Reinforcing the importance of safer-sex practices may be particularly effective in increasing young adults’ safer-sex self-efficacy.

Stepchildren Claiming Stepparents

The purpose of this study was to examine the concept of stepchild claiming stepparents as parental figures or as kin. By examining the process of stepchildren claiming stepparents’ as kin, we sought to explore the properties of the concept of stepchild claiming. From in-depth interviews of 26 stepchildren, we proposed a conceptual analysis of stepchild claiming, identifying eight properties of stepchildren claiming stepparents as kin/parents: degree of claiming (identity conviction), degree of intentionality, timing in life, mindfulness/awareness of others, naming, seeking public recognition, using biological parents as benchmarks, and identifying with the stepparent. The results of this study contribute to an understanding of constructed kinship relationships in diverse families.