Helen Crohn

Daughters and Their Mothers and Stepmothers: Young Women Recall Their Positive Relationships Withtheir Mothers and Stepmothers Helen Crohn

Having a stepmother is not a new phenomenon. What isa more recent experience is having a stepmother anda living mother. Many children spend significantperiods of time with their fathers and the women whoare part-time or nonresidential stepmothers. Girls instepfamilies, particularly girls who havestepmothers, are said to have adjustment problemsthat girls in nuclear families do not experience. Butthe risk for negative outcomes in children of divorce and remarriage may be mediated by resources thatengender resiliency. This study examined the factorswhich are associated with positive relationshipsbetween daughters and their divorced mothers andtheir stepmothers. In-depth interviewing andqualitative methodology were used. Five styles ofrelationships were found to work for theparticipants, and unique qualities were discerned. The stepfamily literature reinforces a socialconstruction of stepfamilies as negative environmentsfor children, so therapists and mental healthcounselors may be susceptible to this negativity. This book counteracts this negativity by examiningthe positives, richness and possibilities of theserelationships.