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The Journals of Gerontology. Series B,... May 2013Based on the life course perspective and gender differences in stepparental roles, this study examines frequency of social contact between mid- to late-life stepparents... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVES
Based on the life course perspective and gender differences in stepparental roles, this study examines frequency of social contact between mid- to late-life stepparents and their stepchildren after stepparents' marriage to their stepchildren's biological parent has been dissolved through widowhood or divorce.
METHOD
Using 5 waves of panel data on stepparent-stepchild pairs from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 12,947 stepchild observations on 4,063 stepchildren belonging to 1,663 stepparents) spanning 10 years (1998-2008), I estimate ordered logit multilevel models predicting former stepparent-stepchild contact frequency.
RESULTS
Results indicate that former stepparents have notably less frequent contact with their stepchildren than current stepparents, particularly following divorce. Widowed stepparents' contact with their stepchildren diminishes gradually following union disruption, whereas divorced stepparents' contact frequency drops abruptly. Former stepfathers have less contact with their stepchildren than former stepmothers. Finally, I uncover evidence of the moderating role of (step)parents' marriage length and stepparents' number of biological children on widowed stepparent-stepchild contact frequency.
DISCUSSION
Older stepparents' social contact with their stepchildren is largely conditional on stepparents' enduring marital bond to their stepchildren's biological parent. This study contributes to a growing literature portraying relatively weak ties between older adults and their stepchildren.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Family Characteristics; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Marital Status; Middle Aged; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Social Support; Young Adult
PubMed: 23591569
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbt021 -
Demography Oct 2019Previous research on the impact of parental loss on labor market outcomes in adulthood has often suffered from low sample sizes. To generate further insights into the...
Previous research on the impact of parental loss on labor market outcomes in adulthood has often suffered from low sample sizes. To generate further insights into the long-term consequences of parental death, I use the Historical Sample of the Netherlands (HSN). The HSN contains occupational information on life courses of a sample of more than 8,000 males and almost 7,000 females born between 1850 and 1922, a period of important labor market transformations. Roughly 20 % of the sample population experienced parental death before age 16. Linear regression models show that maternal loss is significantly associated with lower occupational position in adulthood for both men and women, which points to the crucial importance of maternal care in childhood for socioeconomic outcomes in later life. This interpretation is supported by the finding that a stepmother's entry into the family is positively related with sons' occupational position later in life. In contrast to expectations, the loss of economic resources related to the father's death is generally not associated with lower status attainment in adulthood for men or for women. The results indicate, however, that the negative consequences of paternal death on men's socioeconomic outcomes decreased over time, illustrating the complex interaction between individual life courses and surrounding labor market transformations.
Topics: Age Factors; Child; Female; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Humans; Income; Linear Models; Male; Maternal Death; Netherlands; Occupations; Parental Death; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 31420844
DOI: 10.1007/s13524-019-00808-z -
Family Process Mar 2014Previous research suggests that stepparenting can be stressful, although the mechanisms that contribute to the experience of parenting stress in stepfamilies are less...
Previous research suggests that stepparenting can be stressful, although the mechanisms that contribute to the experience of parenting stress in stepfamilies are less clear. This study examines gender, marital quality, and views about gendered family roles as correlates of parenting stress among 310 stepmothers, stepfathers, and biological mothers and fathers. Findings suggest that stepparents, and especially stepmothers, experience higher levels of parenting stress than biological parents. Findings also suggest that less traditional views about gendered family roles and higher dyadic adjustment are associated with lower parenting stress for stepparents, particularly in combination. Stepparents reporting both of these protective factors were indistinguishable in terms of parenting stress from biological parents. These findings indicate potential pathways to mitigate the stress associated with stepparenting.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Gender Identity; Humans; Male; Parenting; Parents; Stress, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 24628087
DOI: 10.1111/famp.12062 -
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Apr 1995Few studies have examined the current social relationships of injecting drug users. This paper examines the structural and relationship characteristics of the social...
Few studies have examined the current social relationships of injecting drug users. This paper examines the structural and relationship characteristics of the social networks of injecting drug users, and the relation of social network characteristics to the HIV infection risk behavior of frequency of injecting heroin and cocaine. The study sample was comprised of 293 inner city injecting drug users in Baltimore, Maryland. Most participants (89%) reported at least one family member in their social network, and 44% listed their mother or step-mother in their network. Presence of family members in personal social networks was not related to patterns of drug use examined here; however, those who reported a partner in their personal social network injected significantly less often than those who did not report a partner. Network density and size of drug subnetworks were positively associated with frequency of drug injection. The results of this study suggest that social network analysis may be a useful tool for understanding the social context of HIV/AIDS risk behaviors.
Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; Cocaine; Family; Female; HIV Infections; Heroin Dependence; Humans; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Risk-Taking; Social Support; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; Substance-Related Disorders; Urban Population
PubMed: 7648991
DOI: 10.1016/0376-8716(94)01082-v -
Ciencia & Saude Coletiva 2007To estimate the prevalence of violence against children and adolescents through the records of Child Protection Councils, associating this violence with the age of the...
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of violence against children and adolescents through the records of Child Protection Councils, associating this violence with the age of the victims and their links with the aggressor.
METHOD
Data were collected from the records and the prevalence rates were calculated through the Prevalence Ratio (PR), together with the associations among variables, with a critical level of 5%.
RESULTS
Out of 1,293 records of violence, 1,011 (78.1%), originated in the home. The most frequent types of violence were: neglect (727), failure to provide basic care (304) and abandonment (259); physical violence (455), beatings (392) between 2 and 13 years old; psychological violence (374) through threats (219); sexual violence (68) through abuse (58), mainly among adolescents. Denunciations were mainly (398) anonymous (30.8%); the aggressors through neglect were the parents; through physical violence, the stepmother and "other aggressors"; through sexual violence, the stepfather and "other relatives / aggressors"; psychological violence was prevalent among all aggressor categories.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate the need to extend the Anti-Violence Hot-line facilities, training Council Members in terms of keeping proper records, and implementing policies designed to prevent violence against children and adolescents.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family; Female; Humans; Male; Prevalence; Violence
PubMed: 18813447
DOI: 10.1590/s1413-81232007000500010 -
Sante Mentale Au Quebec 1992This article draws on the sad story of Aurore Gagnon, a battered child raised in rural Québec and whose turmoil was dramatized on film. By elaborating on this symbol,...
This article draws on the sad story of Aurore Gagnon, a battered child raised in rural Québec and whose turmoil was dramatized on film. By elaborating on this symbol, the author is able to generate, at least in a systemic perspective, a number of issues and outlooks that go far beyond the generalities usually associated with this tale. For instance, there is ample evidence showing that the behaviour of Aurore's stepmother, aberrant as it may be, is largely caused by a set of environmental circumstances. Of course, today's social conditions hardly resemble those of the past. Yet, given the conjunctions of certain factors, children, who are nevertheless our most valuable asset, continue to be in danger in the presence of their very own parents.
Topics: Child; Child Abuse; History, 20th Century; Humans; Mothers; Quebec; Risk Factors; Rural Population
PubMed: 1515533
DOI: No ID Found