International Handbook of Stepfamilies (eBook)

Jan Pryor, Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Jan Pryor is the Director of the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families. Her research has addressed children's perceptions of families; resilience in stepfamilies; cohabitation, marriage and parenting; and emotional conflict and estrangement between parents and its impact on children and adolescents. Jan teaches Family Psychology in the School of Psychology at Victoria University, and is a recognized expert in the English-speaking world in family dynamics, especially as they affect children.

Foreword Paul R. Amato.

Preface.

Contributors.

Introduction.

Acknowledgments.

Section I: INTERNATIONAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, AND CULTURAL
CONTEXTS.

1 The Demography of Stepfamilies in the United States (Jay
Teachman and Lucky Tedrow).

2 Stereotypes of Stepfamilies and Stepfamily Members (Stephen
Claxton-Oldfield).

3 Stepfamilies in France Since the 1990s (Jean-François
Mignot).

4 The Social Context of Emerging Stepfamilies in Japan (Shinji
Nozawa).

5 Stepfathers in Cultural Context: Mexican American Families in
the United States (Scott Coltrane, Erika Gutierrez, and Ross D.
Parke).

Section II: DYNAMICS WITHIN STEPFAMILY
HOUSEHOLDS.

6 Stepfathers in Families (Jeremy Robertson).

7 Resident Mothers in Stepfamilies (Marjorie Smith).

8 Sibling Relationships in Blended Families (Melinda E. Baham,
Amy A. Weimer, Sanford L. Braver, and William V. Fabricius).

9 Resident Parent-Child Relationships in Stepfamilies (Claire
Cartwright).

10 A Longitudinal Examination of Marital Processes Leading to
Instability in Remarriages and Stepfamilies (Brad van
Eeden-Moorefield and Kay Pasley).

11 Children's Appraisals of Relationships in Stepfamilies
and First Families (Katherine H. Shelton, Sasha L. Walters, and
Gordon T. Harold).

12 The Distribution of Household Tasks in First-Marriage
Families and Stepfamilies Across Europe (Laurent Snoeckx, Britt
Dehertogh, and Dimitri Mortelmans).

13 Communication in Stepfamilies (Tamara D. Afifi).

Section III: INFLUENCES AND RELATIONSHIPS BEYOND THE
HOUSEHOLD.

14 Kinship in Stepfamilies (Graham Allan, Sheila Hawker, and
Graham Crow).

15 Children's Relationships with Nonresident Parents (Jan
Pryor).

16 The Diversity of Stepmothers (Marilyn Coleman, Jessica
Troilo, and Tyler Jamison).

17 Intergenerational Relationships in Stepfamilies (Lawrence
Ganong).

Section IV: CLINICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES.

18 A Clinician's View of "Stepfamily Architecture"
(Patricia L. Papernow).

19 Research on Interventions for Stepfamily Couples (Sarah W.
Whitton, Jan M. Nicholson, and Howard J. Markman).

20 The Prevention and Treatment of Children's Adjustment
Problems in Stepfamilies (Jan M. Nicholson, Matthew R. Sanders, W.
Kim Halford, Maddy Phillips, and Sarah W. Whitton).

21 Legal Structures and Re-Formed Families (Bill Atkin).

22 How Relevant Are U.S. Family and Probate Laws to
Stepfamilies? (Sarah E. C. Malia).

23 Where to from Here? Stepfamilies and the Future (Jan
Pryor).

Author Index.

Subject Index.

"The different topics and perspecitives should be of interest to a
wide range of family scholars and pracitioners working with
families. In particular, the inclusion of clinical issues broadens
the book's appeal. The book is international in scope.... The
articles are well written; the book is well organized. Summing up:
Highly recommended. Students, reseachers, faculty,
professionals." (Choice, August 2009)

"...is an important contribution to the literature about
stepfamilies and is one of the few to take an international
perspective. I enjoyed reading this book. Overall this is a volume
that one should have on one's shelf. It provides a rich view of the
research and scholarship on modern stepfamilies. The handbook
clearly demonstrates why we need to continue to focus on this
important family form, as stepfamilies will be with us in growing
numbers over the next decades." (PsycCRITIQUES, 6/17/09)

"This work looks at stepfamilies from many different
perspectives. Each article is well written and heavily researched
with current article citations. This allows one to find, in a
convenient source, a wealth of information on stepfamilies that
should generate questions for future research. This will be of
interest to most libraries supporting studies in the family."
(ARBAonline, August 2008)

"The International Handbook of Stepfamilies: Policy and Practice
in Legal, Research, and Clinical Environments, edited by Jan
Pryor, is an important contribution to the literature about
stepfamilies and is one of the few to take an international
perspective. Much of the work in this area has been largely from
the United States, and the importance of viewing these demographic
changes from a global perspective is evident in the chapters....
overall this is a volume that one should have on one's shelf.
It providesa rich view of the research and scholarship on modern
stepfamilies."

-James H. Bray, PhD, Assocaite Professor Baylor
College of Medicine Texas, 2009 president of the American
Psychological Association