Ele, o marido da minha mãe: atributos do papel de padrasto entre adolescentes

Abstract

In Brazil, divorces are more frequent among couples who have underage children. They tend to search for new partners and sometimes remarry. Since in nearly 90% of divorce cases the mother is given custody of the children, their relationship with the stepfather becomes essential for a successful family transition. However, it is pointed by literature that there is little clarity and agreement concerning the parental behavior expected of this man from the different family members, and this lack of definition is related to his low satisfaction in the parental role, as well as the low levels of maternal satisfaction, and also the family s and couple s satisfaction. This situation tends to be particularly more difficult in families involving teenage children. This study investigated the contents of familial and parental roles attributed to the stepfather by teenagers that both live and don t live with remarried families. This was a quantitative study carried out with 155 teenagers aged 12 to 20, living in the State of Sao Paulo; through the use of a questionnaire that included questions concerning the family composition, role attribution, as well as conflict and doubt topics in relation to the mother s new husband. The results indicate that the teenagers that do not have a direct experience with their stepfathers show more flexible role expectations than those who live with their remarried families. In both cases, there are no expectations of a parenting role for the stepfather. Gender, age and the period of time since parents divorced are all related to the quality of the children s relationship with the stepfather