FAMILY ENRICHMENT FOR STEPFAMILIES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a home-based, workbook format family enrichment program for stepfamilies, and to compare the effectiveness of this program in an empirical study to the results of a multiple family therapy group for stepfamilies and a no-treatment control group. The following hypotheses were derived for purposes of this research: (1) At post-test, families in both experimental groups will have higher levels of cohesion and lower levels of interpersonal conflict than families in the no-treatment control group. (2) At post-test, families in the home-based group will have higher levels of cohesion and lower interpersonal conflict than families in the multiple family therapy group. (3) At post-test, families in the home-based group will perceive themselves to be closer to one another and to fight less frequently than either the multiple family therapy or the control families. (4) At post-test, parents in the home-based group will perceive themselves to have discussed their views on child discipline and to feel they know their spouses' views to a greater extent than parents in either the multiple family therapy or the control group. Subjects for this study consisted of 64 individuals representing 16 families from two geographic regions of Indiana. To be eligible for participation in the study, there had to be at least one stepparent and one stepchild over the age of four living in the home. The 16 families were then assigned to one of the three groups in this study. All families were pre- and post-tested approximately six weeks apart. All family members over the age of four completed four sociometric questions and two Likert-type questions concerning the amount of interpersonal conflict in the family and their perception of the degree of "closeness" in the family. In addition to the above instruments, parents were asked to complete the "Family Environment Scale" (Moos, 1973), and one additional Likert-type question assessing the degree to which they have discussed and have knowledge of one another's views on child discipline. None of the hypotheses was supported by the data analyzed in this study.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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