Adolescents' and Young Adults' Expectations of Parental Responsibilities in Stepfamilies

This current study investigates adolescents' and young adults' expectations of parenting by mothers following remarriage. Based on an earlier qualitative study of parent-child relationships, it was hypothesized that young people expect parents to maintain parenting responsibilities, including warmth/support and discipline behaviors, towards children following remarriage. It was also hypothesized that adolescents and young adults expect parents to give them priority relative to the stepparent. Sixty-five participants between the ages of 18 and 25 completed a questionnaire that included a stepfamily vignette and 4 questions designed to elicit expectations of how mothers behave following remarriage. The results partially support each of the hypotheses. The majority of participants saw the mother as having primary responsibility for disciplining children. Approximately half of the participants thought that the mother ought to give priority to children, while the other half thought that she ought to give priority to both the children and her partner. The participants also confirmed that warmth and support roles are important following remarriage, suggesting that children will want love, reassurance, support, time, and attention from the mother. The results suggest that young people may hold a conservative view of family relations following remarriage, expecting the biological parent to maintain primary responsibility for the children and the stepparent to play a more minor role.