Stepparents Perception of the Factors Affecting the Quality of the Stepparent- Stepchild Relationship

摘要

The study investigated the contributions of parenting style, communication, relationship with non-residential kin, loyalty conflict and spousal marital relationship to the quality of the stepparent and stepchild relationship. It made use of simple random sampling in selecting 400 stepparents from ten local government areas in Cross River State. The study sample responded to two valid and reliable instruments. The results indicated that the five independent variables, when taken together, were effective in predicting the quality of the stepparent and stepchild relationship. Each of the variables (with the exception of parenting style) contributed significantly to the prediction of the quality of the stepparent and stepchild relationship. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that intervention programmes centre on relationship enhancement, communication skills and conflict resolution would benefit the stepparent and stepchild relationship.