A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä

Perceived stepfamily challenges: a cross-sectional descriptive study among stepfamilies and social and health care professionals




TekijätPakarinen, Anni K.; Selänne, Laura I. M.

KustantajaUniversity of Victoria Libraries

KustannuspaikkaVICTORIA

Julkaisuvuosi2025

JournalInternational Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies

Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimiInternational Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies

Lehden akronyymiINT J CHILD YOUTH FA

Vuosikerta16

Numero1

Aloitussivu114

Lopetussivu136

Sivujen määrä23

ISSN1920-7298

eISSN1920-7298

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs161202522401

Verkko-osoitehttps://doi.org/10.18357/ijcyfs161202522401

Rinnakkaistallenteen osoitehttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499412232


Tiivistelmä
Professionals working in family services often come into contact with stepfamilies. Issues that often need professional support and stepfamily intervention include divorce, custody disputes, children's stress and adjustment problems, and challenges new stepfamilies encounter. The aim of this crosssectional descriptive study was to explore the challenges of stepfamilies as perceived by the families themselves and by the professionals working in services for children, adolescents, and families. Data were collected in the spring of 2018 using semi-structured questionnaires among social and health care professionals and stepfamilies. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The challenges reported related mainly to the complexities of managing a stepfamily, including parenting, role conflicts, issues arising from the former life, children's adaptation difficulties, and stepcouple relationships. Five themes were identified from the responses of professionals and parents in stepfamilies: many overlapping stories, children living amid changes, parenting under cross-pressure, love relationship is hard to maintain, and rocky road to a balanced family. These results provide perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders regarding the challenges stepfamilies face. Our study may offer valuable information for professionals working with stepfamilies and for researchers and decision-makers planning interventions for stepfamilies.

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Last updated on 2025-29-08 at 11:35