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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.)