Stepfamily Communication Strengths

This study used systems theory to examine the communication strategies that differentiate “strong” stepfamilies from stepfamilies having more difficulty, inductively deriving a composite of stepfamily “communication strengths.” A total of 90 in‐depth interviews were conducted with stepparents, parents, and stepchildren from 30 stepfamilies. The stepfamilies, regardless of their strength, faced 7 primary challenges in their development: “feeling caught,” regulating boundaries with a noncustodial family, ambiguity of parental roles, “traumatic bonding,” vying for resources, discrepancies in conflict management styles, and building solidarity as a family unit. However, the communicative tactics used to manage them differed according to the strength of the stepfamily. In general, strong stepfamilies reported using everyday talk, more openness, spending time together as a family, communicating clear rules and boundaries, engaging in family problem solving, promoting a positive image of the noncustodial parent, and more consistency in perceptions about the severity of their problems. Implications for appropriate boundary integration in stepfamilies are discussed.