The impact of parental remarriage on children: A meta-analysis

Marriage and Family Review

Volumn 40, Issue 4, 2006, Pages 75-102

  Jeynes, William H ^a  

^a CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Academic achievement; Divorce; Education; Family structure; Mental health; Meta analysis; Remarriage

Indexed keywords

EID: 33847649966     PISSN: 01494929     EISSN: 15409635     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1300/J002v40n04_05     Document Type: Article

References (111)

1. Asterisks indicate studies included in the meta-analysis.
2. Acock, A. C. & Kiecolt, J. (1989). Is it family structure or socioeconomic status? Family structure during adolescence and adult adjustment. Social Forces, 68, 553-71.
3. Amato, P. R. (1987). Family processes in one-parent, stepparent, and intact families. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 49, 327-337.
4. Amato, P. R. (1994). The implications of research findings on children in stepf amilies. In Booth, A. & Dunn, J. (Eds.), Stepfamilies: Who benefits? Who does not? (pp. 81-87). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
5. Amato, P. R. (2001). Children of divorce in the 1990s: An update of the Amato and Keith (1991) meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 355-370.
6. Amato, P. R. & Keith, B. (1991a). Parental divorce and adult well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 43-58.
7. Amato, P. R. & Keith, B. (1991b). Parental divorce and the well-being of children: A meta- analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 26-46.
8. Amato, P. R. & Ochitree, G. (1987). Child and adolescent competence in intact, one-Parent, and stepfamilies, an Australian study. Journal of Divorce, 10, 75-96.
9. Anderson, E. R., Green, S. M., Hetherington, E. M. & Clingempeel, W. G. (1999). The dynamics of parental remarriage: Adolescent, parent, and sibling influences. In Hetherington, E. M. (Ed.), Coping with divorce, single parenting, and remarriage. (pp. 295-319). Mahweh, New Jersey: Erlbaum.
10. Astone, N. M. & McLanahan, S. S. (1991). Family structure, parental practices, and high school completion. American Sociological Review, 56, 309-320.
11. Axinn, W. G. & Thornton, A. (1996). The influence of parents' marital dissolutions on childhood attitudes toward family formation. Demography, 33, 66-81.
12. Beer, W. R. (1992). American Stepfamilies, New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.
13. Biblarz, T. J. & Raftery, A. E. (1999). Family structure, educational attainment, and socioeconomic success: Rethinking the "pathology of matriarchy." American Journal of Sociology, 105, 321-365.
14. Bogenscheider, K. (1997). Parental involvement in adolescent schooling: A proximal process with transcontextual validity. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 718-733.
15. Bohanon, P. & Yahraes, H. (1979). Stepfamilies as parents. In E. Corfman (Ed.), Families today: A research sampler of families and children, Vol. I, (pp. 347-362). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
16. Booth, A. & Dunn, J. (1994). Preface. In A. Booth & J. Dunn (Eds.), Stepfamilies: Who benefits? Who does not? (pp. ix-x). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum
17. Booth, A. & towards, J. N. (1992). Staring over: Why remarriages are more unstable. Journal of Family Issues, 13, 179-194.
18. Boyd, D. & Parish, T. S. (1985). An examination of academic achievement in light of family configuration. Education, 106, 228-230.
19. Brown, S. L. (2004). Family structure and child well-being: The significance of parent cohabitation. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66, 351-367.
20. Burchinal, L. G. (1964). Characteristics of adolescents from unbroken, broken, and reconstituted families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 26, 44-51.
21. Case, A., Lin, I., & McLanahan, S. (2001). Educational attainment of siblings in Stepfamilies. Evolution & Human Behavior, 22, 269-289.
22. Chapman, M.. (1977). Father absence, stepfamilies, and the cognitive performance of college students. Child Development, 48, 1155-1158.
23. Chase-Lansdale, P. L., Cherlin, A. J., & Kiernan, K. E. (1995). The long-term effects of parental divorce on the mental health of young adults: A developmental perspective. Child Development, 66, 1614-1634.
24. Cherlin, A. J. (1992). Marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
25. Clarke, S. C. (1995). Advance report of final divorce statistics, 1989 and 1990. Monthly Vital Statistics Report, National Center for Health Statistics, 43. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services.
26. Coleman, M. & Ganong, L. (1990). Remarriage and stepfamily research in the 1980s: Increased interest, in an old family form. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 925-940.
27. Coleman, M., Ganong, L., & Fine, M. (2000). Reinvestigating remarriage: Another decade of progress. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 1288-1307.
28. Corsica, J. S. (1980). The relationship in changes in family structure to the academic performance and school behavior of adolescents from a middle class suburban school. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
29. Croshoe, R. (2004). Social capital and the interplay of families and schools. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66, 267-280.
30. Czararnecki, C. A. (1995). Relationship of age, time since parental separation and remarriage with academic adjustment in children. Unpublished doctoral dissertation at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York.
31. Dawson, D. (1991). Family structure and children's health and well-being: Data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey on Child Health. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 573-584.
32. Demo, D. H. & Acock, A. C. (1996). Family structure, family process, and adolescent well-being. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 6, 457-88.
33. Dornbusch, S. M., Ritter, P. L., Leiderrnan, P. H., Roberts, D. F., & Fraleigh, M. J. (1987). Relation of parenting to adolescent school performance. Child Development, 58, 1244-1257.
34. Downey, D. B. (1995). Understanding academic achievement among children in stephouseholds: The role of parental resources, sex of stepparent, and sex of child. Social Forces, 73, 875-894.
35. Emery, R. E. (1988). Marriage, divorce, and children's adjustment. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
36. Evans, M. D., Kelly, J., & Wanner, R. A. (2001). Educational attainment of the children of divorce: Australia, 1940-90. Journal of Sociology, 37, 275-297.
37. Ferri, E. (1984). Stepchildren: A national study. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities.
38. Flinn, M. V. (1988). Step- and genetic parent offspring relationships in a Caribbean village. Ethology and Sociobiology, 9, 335-369.
39. Ganong, L. H. & Coleman, M. (1994). Remarried family relationships. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
40. Ganong, L., Coleman, M., & Brown, G. (1981). Effects of family structure on marital attitudes of adolescents. Adolescence, 16, 281-288.
41. Ganong, L.,, Coleman, M., & Fine, M. (2000). Reinvestigating remarriage: Another decade of progress. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 62, 1288-1317.
42. Garbarino, J., Sebes, J., & Schellenbach, C. (1984). Families at risk for destructive parent-child relations in adolescence. Child Development, 55, 174-183.
43. Gelles, R. J. & Harrop, J. W. (1991). The risk of abusive violence among children with nongenetic caretakers. Family Relations, 40, 78-83.
44. Glass, G. V., McGaw, B., & Smith, M. L. (1981). Meta-analysis in social research. Beverly Hills: Sage.
45. Griesbach, D., Amos, A., & Currie, C. (2003). Adolescent smoking and family structure in Europe. Social Science & Medicine, 56, 41-52.
46. Hedges, L. (1981). Distribution theory for Glass's estimator of effect size and related estimators, Journal of Educational Statistics, 6, 107-128.
47. Henry, C. S. & Lovelace, S. G. (1995). Family resources and adolescent family life satisfaction in remarried family households, Journal of Family Issues, 16, 765-786.
48. Hernandez, D. J. (1993). America's children: Resources for family, government and the economy. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
49. Hetherington, E. M. (1999). Family functioning in nonstepfamilies and different kinds of stepfamilies: An integration. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 64, 184-191.
50. Hetherington, E. M. & Clingempeel, W. G. (1992). Coping with marital transitions: A family systems perspective. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 57.
51. Hetherington, E. M., Cox, M., & Cox, R. (1987). Long-term effects of divorce and remarriage on the adjustment of children. In Chess, S. & Thomas, A. (Eds.). Annual progress in child psychiatry and child development, (pp. 407-429). Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel, Inc.
52. Hetherington, E. M. & Jodl, K. M. (1994). Stepfamilies as settings for child development. In A. Booth & J. Dunn (Eds.), Stepfamilies: Who benefits? Who does not? (pp. 55-79). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Associates.
53. Heyman, J. R. (1992). The relationship between family structure as defined by parental marital status, family structure histories, gender, and various academic outcomes for seventh grade students in private schools. (Doctoral dissertation, University of San Francisco, 1992), Dissertation Abstracts International, AAG 9316055.
54. Hohert, C. (1989). Experiences of remarried families. Journal of Divorce, 13, 121-144.
55. Hoffmann, J. P. & Johnson, R. A. (1998). A national portrait of family structure and adolescent drug use. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60, 633-645.
56. Isaacs, A. R. (2002). Children's adjustment to their divorced parents' new relationships. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 38, 329-331.
57. Jeynes, W. H. (1998). Does divorce or remarriage have the greater negative impact on the academic achievement, of children? Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 29, 79-101.
58. Jeynes, W. (1999). The effects of remarriage following divorce on the academic achievement of children. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 28, 385-393.
59. Jeynes, W. H. (2000a). A longitudinal analysis on the effects of remarriage following divorce on the academic achievement of adolescents. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 33, 31-1.48.
60. Jeynes, W. H. (2000b). Effects of several of the most common family structures on the academic achievement of children. Marriage and Family Review, 30, 73-97.
61. Jeynes, William. (2001). The effects of recent parental divorce on their children's consumption of marijuana andcocaine. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 35, 43-65.
62. Jeynes, W. H. (2002a). Divorce, family structure & the academic success of children. Binghamton, New York: Haworth.
63. Jeynes, W. (2002b). Does widowhood or remarriage have the greater impact on the academic achievement of children? Omega, 44, 319-343.
64. Kalter, N. (1977). Children of divorce in an outpatient psychiatric population. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 47, 40-51.
65. Kellam, S.G., Ensminger, M. E., & Turner, J. (1977). Family structure and the mental health of children: Concurrent and longitudinal community-wide studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 1012-1022.
66. Kelly, J. (1992). Conflict and children's post-divorce adjustment: A closer look. Paper presented at the National Council for Children's Rights in Arlington, Virginia.
67. Kennedy, G. E. (1985). Family relationships as perceived by college students from single-parenting, blended, and intact, families. Family Perspective, 19, 117-126.
68. Kinnaird, K. L. & Gerrard, M. (1986). Premarital sexual behavior and attitudes toward marriage and divorce among young women as a function of their mother's marital status. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 48, 751-765.
69. Kurdek, L. & Fine, M. (1994). The relation between parenting transitions and adjustment in young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 14, 412-431.
70. Lange, L. D. (1991). The achievement pattern of early adolescents in intact, remarried, and divorced families. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
71. Langer, T. S. & Michael, S. T. (1963). Life stress and mental health. London: Collier-Macmillan.
72. Lightcap, J. L., Kirkland, J. A., & Burgess, R. L. (1982). Child abuse: A test of some predictions from evolutionary theory. Ethology and Sociobiology, 3, 61-67.
73. Lindner, M. S., Hagan, M. S., & Brown, J. C. (1992). The adjustment of children in nondivorced, divorced single-mother, and remarried families. In E. M. Hetherington & W. Clingempeel, Coping with marital transitions: A family systems perspective. Monographs of the Society of Research in child development, 5, 35-72.
74. Lissau, I., & Sorensen, T. A. (1994). Parental neglect during childhood and increased risk of obesity in young adulthood. Lancet, 343, 324-327.
75. MacDonald, W. & DeMaris, A. (1.995). Remarriage, stepchildren, and marital conflict: Challenges to the incomplete institutionalization hypothesis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 387-98.
76. Manning, W. D. & Lamb, K. L. (2003). Adolescent well-being in cohabiting, married, and single-parent families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 65, 876-893.
77. Marsh, H. W. (1990). Two-parent, stepparent, and single-parent families: Changes in achievement, attitudes, and behaviors during the last two years of high school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 327-340.
78. McLanahan, S. & Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
79. Nunn, G. D., Parish, T. S., & Worthing, R. J. (1983). Perceptions of personal and familial adjustment by children from intact, single-parent, and reconstituted families. Psychology in the Schools, 20, 166-174.
80. Oshman, H. P. & Manosevitz, M. (1976). Father absence: Effects of stepfathers upon psychosocial development in males. Developmental Psychology, 12, 479-480.
81. Painter, G. & Levine, D. (2000). Family structure and youth's outcomes. Journal of Home Resources, 35, 524-549.
82. Parish, T. S. (1982). Locus of control as a function of father loss and the absence of stepfathers. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 140, 321-322.
83. Parish, J. & Parish, T. (1983a). Children's self-concepts as related to family structure and disposition. Adolescence, 18, 649-658.
84. Parish, T. S. & Parish, J. G. (1983b). Relationship between evaluations of one's self and one's family by children from intact, reconstituted, and single-parent families. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 143, 293-294.
85. Perkins, T. F. & Kahan, J. P. (1979). An empirical comparison of natural father and stepfather family systems. Family Process, 18, 175-183.
86. Perry, J. B. & Pfuhl, E. (1963). Adjustment of children in "solo" and "remarriage" homes. Marriage & Family Living, 25, 221-223.
87. Pink, J. T. & Wampler, K. S. (1985). Problem areas in stepfamilies: Cohesion, adaptability, and stepfather-adolescent relationship. Family Relations, 34, 327-335.
88. Pong, S. (1997). Family structure, school context, and eighth grade math and reading achievement. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 59, 734-746.
89. Pong, S., Dronkers, J., & Hampden-Thompson, G. (2003). Family policies and children's school achievement in single- versus two-parent families. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 65, 681-699.
90. Popenoe, D. (1994). The evolution of marriage and the problem of stepfamilies: A biosocial perspective. In A. Booth and J. Dunn (Eds.) Stepfamilies: Who benefits? Who does not? (pp. 55-79). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
91. Raschke, H. J. & Raschke, V. J. (1979). Family conflict and children's self-concepts: A comparison of intact and single-parent families. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 41, 367-374.
92. Rodgers, B. (1994). Pathways between parental divorce and adult depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1289-1994.
93. Rodgers, B., Power, C., & Hope, S. (1997). Parental divorce and adult psychological distress: Evidence from a national birth cohort: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 867-872.
94. Rodgers, K. B. & Rose, H. A. (2002). Risk and resiliency factors among adolescents who experience marital transitions. Journal of Marriage & Family, 64, 1024-1037.
95. Rubenstein, J. L., Halton, A., Kasten, L., Ruben, C., & Stechlers, G. (1998). Suicidal behavior in adolescents: Stress and protection in different family contexts. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68, 274-284.
96. Russell, D. E. (1984). The prevalence and seriousness of incestuous abuse: Stepfathers v. biological fathers. Child Abuse & Neglect, 8, 15-22.
97. Santrock, J. W. (1972). Relation of type and onset of father absence to cognitive development. Child Development, 43, 455-469.
98. Santrock, J. W., Warshak, R., Lindbergh, C., & Meadows, L. (1982). Children's and parents' observed social behavior in stepfather families. Child Development, 53, 472-480.
99. Sun, Y. (2003). The well-being of adolescents in households with no biological parents. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 65, 894-909.
100. Teachman, J. D. (2002). Childhood living arrangements and the intergenerational transmission of divorce. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 64, 717-729.
101. Teachman, J. D., Paasch, K., & Carver, K. (1996). Social capital and dropping out of school early. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 58, 773-783.
102. Thomson, E., McLanahan, S., and Curtin, R. B. (1992). Family structure, gender, and parental socialization. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 54, 368-378.
103. Touliatos, J. & Lindholm, B. W. (1980). Teachers' perceptions of behavior problems in children from intact, single-parent, and stepparent families. Psychology in the Schools, 17, 264-279.
104. Walsh, W. M. (1992). Twenty major issues in remarriage families. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 709-715.
105. White, L. (1994). Stepfamilies over the Life Course: Social Support. In A. Booth & J. Dunn (Eds.), Stepfamilies: Who benefits? Who does not? (pp. 109-137). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.
106. White, L. & Gilbreth, J. G. (2001). When children have two fathers: Effects of relationships with stepfathers and noncustodial fathers on adolescent outcomes. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63, 155-167.
107. Zabel, D. (1995). Changing family structures. In Herron, N. & Zabel, D. (Eds.), Bridging the gap: Examining polarity in America, (pp. 337-366). Englewood: Libraries Unlimited.
108. Zill, N. (1994). Understanding why children in stepfamilies have more learning and behavior problems than children in nuclear families. In A. Booth & J. Dunn (Eds.), Stepfamilies: Who benefits? Who does not? (pp. 109-137). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
109. Zill, N., Morrison, D. R., & Coiro, M. (1993). Long-term effects of parental divorce on parent-child relationships, adjustment, and achievement in young adulthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 7, 91-103.
110. Zill, N. & Nord, C.W. (1994). Running in place. Washington DC: Child Trends.
111. Zimiles, H. & Lee, V. (1991). Adolescent family structure and educational progress. Developmental Psychology, 27, 314-320.