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Objective: The aim of this study is to partially validate the Father's Relative Involvement Postseparation scale (FRIPS). Background: Separated fathers have time and accessibility constraints to their children. To date, models and measures used to study separated fathers' parental involvement have often focused on the amount of time they spend with their child, not considering how they are involved. Pleck's (2010) model of father involvement and the "Who does what" measure type may be relevant in this regard. Method: This study is based on a representative sample of 656 fathers living in Quebec, Canada, who separated between 2016 and 2018 and who have at least one child under 14 years of age. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a second‐order model, including positive involvement activities, indirect care, and decision‐making factors, fits the data well. Convergent and divergent validity is demonstrated with custody time, father–child relationship quality and the father's perceived parental competence. Multigroup analysis showed that the FRIPS scale can be used with confidence regardless of the child's gender and age. Conclusion: The FRIPS is valid for assessing separated fathers' involvement. Implications: This measure can be used to assess separated fathers' involvement, inclusive of nonresident, shared, and sole custody fathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following parental separation, fathers' greater or lesser parental involvement relative to the other parent may be differently accounted for by father, child, and coparental factors. A representative sample of 671 separated fathers completed questionnaires two and four years after separation. For fathers less involved than the other parent, a better coparenting relationship accounts for greater T1 involvement, but predicts a decrease in involvement by T2. For fathers more involved than the other parent, a better coparenting relationship accounts for more balanced involvement of both parents at T1 and T2. For all fathers, more custody time accounts for greater T1 and T2 involvement and greater psychological well-being accounts for greater T1 involvement. Implications for intervention and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second marriages are known to be more fragile than first marriages. To better understand the factors that contribute to this fragility, this qualitative study compared stepfamilies that stayed together with those that separated by collecting interview data from one adult in each of the former (n = 31) and latter (n = 26) stepfamilies. Data were analyzed using a general inductive approach. The analysis allowed us to identify key processes that contributed to stepfamilies staying intact or breaking up. We found that the way in which families approached problems and the strategies they employed had more influence on stepfamily survival than the nature, number, or intensity of these problems. We also outlined the role of certain elements related to family context, such as the custody of children from former unions, intrafamily communication, and each person's particular characteristics. With regard to practitioner intervention, the results highlight the importance of examining the way in which couples deal with their problems, the strategies they employ, and the effectiveness of the strategies.

The objective of this qualitative research is to better understand the processes that contribute to resilience among adolescents in foster care. Twelve boys and girls (X=15.9 years), identified as resilient, participated in this study. The mean duration of the teenagers' placement is 7.3 years. The results point to three types of turning points: action, relation and reflection. Four processes, directly or indirectly linked to the turning point, have also been identified: increase in perceived self-efficacy, distancing oneself from the risks, new opportunities, and the multiplication of benefits.

This study focuses on the impacts of serial transitions on externalized and internalized behavior disorders, anxiety, and depression among children in child protection services. The research was carried out with a sample of 741 children. The findings demonstrate that the number of times a family is blended is a stronger predictive factor for children's adjustment than is the family structure at the time of the interview. In predicting externalized and internalized behavior problems among children, however, the effect of family structure disappears in favor of the variables associated with family functioning and family climate. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)

Many researchers study international adoption. However, to date, no systematic analysis has been conducted to characterize this field in the social sciences, in terms of disciplinary origins, methodological approaches and theories used. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an overall picture of basic trends and of marginal or even incomplete ones. This situation can slow down the development of knowledge regarding international adoption. Our scoping review is based on a systematic survey of studies published from 2000 to 2019 (n = 164). The results demonstrate that: (1) researchers specialized in psychology dominate this field of study; (2) the quantitative approach is most widely used; and (3) cognitive-behavioral, ethnic and racial identity as well as attachment theories are the main perspectives adopted. This article concludes by discussing the consequences of this situation, as well as relevant avenues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development and diversification of information and communication technology (ICT) are changing the way family members communicate with each other, creating new opportunities for interaction. When children and parents do not live together on a day‐to‐day basis, these technologies may represent privileged means to keep in touch and maintain a relationship. Objective: This article aims to review the literature on the use of ICT among children separated from one or both parents, paying particular attention to two contexts: parental separation and foster care. Method: A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines (Tricco et al., 2018). The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Of the 847 references identified, 11 were selected (six related to parental separation and five related to foster care). The literature dated from 1997 to 2020 and was particularly sparse and heterogeneous (e.g., the definition of ICT and characteristics of participants). Three topics emerged: (a) ICT practices and usage patterns, (b) ICT practices: opportunities and issues, and (c) sociolegal support issues. Implication: This study highlights the need for all legal and psychosocial actors to consider the place of digital technology in family relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of a qualitative study examining how social stigmatization made the lives of young people in gay and lesbian stepfamilies more complex. The study focused primarily on the young people's viewpoint, which has until now rarely been taken into consideration in studies of gay and lesbian families. Eleven semi--structured interviews were conducted with adolescents and young adults from 15 to 29 years old. The results showed that these young people experienced social stigmatization because of the family they lived in, which in turn had repercussions on their personal, family, and interpersonal lives. KEYWORDS gay/lesbian stepfamily, young with homosexual parents, stepfamily, social stigma

Although previous studies have shown that parental separation and parental conflict contribute independently to the adaptation difficulties of young people, there is, as of yet, no precise portrait of how post-separation conflicts evolve. Indeed, some fundamental questions remain unanswered: (1) Do parents who experience few conflicts during their break-up continue to enjoy a harmonious relationship afterward? (2) When parents have a conflictual relationship in the first years after separating, do problems eventually subside? (3) Are a family's characteristics associated with the way a post-separation conflict evolves? The present, exploratory study attempts to provide some answers to these three questions. The sample was composed of 123 boys and girls from 8 to 11 years old. The children and their parents were interviewed on two separate occasions at a 1-year interval. The first interview (time D took place 2.5 years after the separation on average. The children were notably asked to give their perception of the parental conflict. Four post-separation conflict trajectories were brought to light. Analysis also targeted three more-specific variables that distinguished these conflict trajectories, namely family income, quality of the relationship with the mother, and the degree of agreement at the time of separation. KEYWORDS divorce, family, parental conflict, preadolescents

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2007.00230.x Byline: MARIE-HELENE GAGNE ([dagger]), SYLVIE DRAPEAU ([dagger]), CLAUDIANE MELANCON ([dagger]), MARIE-CHRISTINE SAINT-JACQUES ([dagger]), RACHEL LEPINE ([dagger]) Keywords: Emotional Abuse; Psychological Violence; Parental Separation; Divorce; Family; Pre-Adolescents Abstract: In a sample of 143 parent-child dyads from two-parent and separated families, this investigation documented the links between parental psychological violence and separation or divorce, severity of parental conflict, triangulation of the child in this conflict, and polarized parent-child alliances. The unique and combined contributions of all these variables to children's behavior problems were also assessed. Participants were parents, mostly mothers, and their 10-12-year-old child. They were recruited through schools, community organizations, and newspapers. Questionnaires were administered at home. Findings suggest that separated families undergo more relational disturbances than two-parent families (more severe conflicts, more triangulation, stronger parent-child alliances), but the amount of parental psychological violence was similar in both groups. Psychological violence was associated with the severity of parental conflict, especially in two-parent families. Triangulation of the child in parental conflict was another correlate of psychological violence. Once all variables were controlled for, psychological violence remained the only significant correlate of children's externalized behavior problems. These findings raise the importance of preventing psychological violence toward children, especially in families plagued with severe parental conflicts. Author Affiliation: ([dagger])Research Centre for At-Risk Youths & Families' Adjustment, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Article note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marie-Helene Gagne, associate professor, School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec City (Quebec), Canada, G1K 7P4. E-mail: marie-helene.gagne@psy.ulaval.ca

This article presents results of a qualitative study of blended lesbian‐headed families with children from previous same‐sex relationships. Conducted in partnership with the LGBT Family Coalition, this study adopts an ecosystemic approach to document the experiences of parental separation and family blending of 17 (n = 17) lesbian mothers and stepmothers in the province of Quebec, Canada. The challenges these women face in these periods of transition, particularly in terms of post‐separation co‐parenting and family reorganization, are analysed with particular concern for the daily stresses of heterosexism and membership in a sexual minority. Various strategies used to overcome these challenges, the positive outcomes of creating blended families and the stepmother's place and role within the family are examined. A discussion of the support and intervention needs of these families concludes the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stepfamily represents an increasingly common form of the family structure. Numerous studies have nonetheless shown that people living in stepfamilies are often stigmatized. The present study focused on public opinion based on a representative sample (N = 1,202) regarding: (a) stepfamilies as a unit; (b) the current situation and future of children; (c) the rights and responsibilities of stepparents; and (d) the perception of stepparents as well as the stereotypes about them. The results showed that people had a favorable opinion about some dimensions, like the future of children living in stepfamilies, but an examination of stereotypes concerning stepfathers and perceptions about stepparents showed a more unfavorable opinion. A latent class analysis showed that there were three opinion profiles. Though there was a positive perception of several stepfamily dimensions, it can be seen that the opinions about stepfamilies were not monolithic. Moreover, the stereotype of the sexual abuser was always present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]