Examining The Psychological Wellbeing Of Stepparents: Utilising Social Identity Theory And System Justification Theory To Investigate The Impact Of Perceived Discrimination

Abstract

Stepfamilies are an increasingly common family form, however, little is known about the psychological wellbeing of this population. Stepfamily researchers have theorised that stigma and unfavourable stereotypes contribute to the difficulties associated with the stepparent role, particularly for stepmothers. However, these relationships have not yet been empirically examined. This study therefore aimed to examine several facets of stepparent wellbeing using a comparison group of biological parents. Further, it tested a series of hypotheses derived from socio-cultural theories: Social Identity Theory and System Justification Theory. An online survey was conducted with biological parents (n = 180) and stepparents (n = 145). Contrary to predictions, stepparents did not report higher levels of negative emotion or poorer relationship satisfaction compared to biological parents. As hypothesised, stepparents reported lower life satisfaction compared to biological parents. This finding was accounted for by higher levels of child psychopathology and behaviour problems in stepfamilies. Moreover, as predicted, stepparents, and in particular stepmothers, perceived higher levels of discrimination compared to biological parents and displayed a lower sense of self-worth as a group. As hypothesised, perceived discrimination was associated with lower wellbeing via adoption and internalisation of negative societal perceptions amongst stepparents. Further, stepparents who tended to subjugate their own needs for the wellbeing of others were more likely to experience higher levels of negative emotion. In contrast to predictions, higher self-sacrifice was associated with increased spousal relationship satisfaction among stepparents. Finally, stepparents exhibited more ambivalent attitudes toward their group than biological parents. This finding suggests that stepparents may partially accept and legitimise their lowered social status, supporting assertions of System Justification Theory.