The Experience of Mothers in Stepfather Families

Abstract

This study explored the lived experience of mothers in stepfather families. Through discourse analysis, interview data of five women's stories were analyzed. The collective narrative analysis suggests that all of these women found adjusting to a stepfamily difficult. All of the participants expressed appreciation for their partners' contributions. Four of them felt in the middle between their partners and their children. Four out of the five participants expressed having difficulties in dealing with their former spouses. The findings enhance the theory on stepfamilies by speculating that, while there are many similarities among mothers of stepfather families, the mixture of challenges and benefits that each woman faces are unique to her situation. Clinicians should be alert to these differences when selecting interventions.