The Attitude of a Stepfather Towards a Step-child aged 5-10 Years and the Level of Marital Divorce Process of the Child’s Parents

Master's thesis "The attitude of a stepfather towards a stepchild sged 5-10 years and the level of child’s parents' marital divorce process completion" investigates the link between the level of child’s parents’ marital divorce process completion and the stepfather's relationship with the child in binuclear families for the first time on a Russian sample. The sample included 68 heterosexual couples, in which each woman had a child (children) aged 5–10 from a previous marriage, living with her and her new husband, the child's stepfather. It was shown that stepfathers’ relationship with the children differs significantly in conditions of a "completed" marital divorce process, demonstrating more functional relationships compared to families with a "still ongoing divorce process." The relationship of the stepfather with the child in conditions of a "completed" divorce process is characterized by esteem for the roles of other family members the establishment of a more positive relationship with the child. The results of the study present a systematic approach to the study of relationships between the stepfather and the child from the wife's previous marriage in a binuclear family, considering the complex interrelations within the family, including the post-divorce relationships of the child's parents.