The role of stepparents in child custody disputes.

Divorce has become a part of the fabric of an ever-increasing number of American families. Few extended families are untouched by its ramifications. In many families of divorce. boundaries are redrawn and relationships are redefined. Frequently, remarriage imposes yet another complicating factor for the members ofthe new families. Visher and Visher l have defined "stepfamily" as a family in which at least one of the adults is a stepparent. There are no well-established norms for behavior among these new family members. While there may be potential for enrichment of family relationships and expansion offamily support systems on the one hand, on the other hand new relationships may threaten family members because of the lack of defined roles, unanticipated problems, and expectations of conflicting loyalties. Divorce entails more than just a return to an unmarried state. Especially when children are involved, marriage is not a fully reversible operation. Divorce does not magically undo the ties that were established during the marriage. When children continue to need to have relationships with both parents, they force the divorced parents to maintain some relationship with each other. Lack of agreement between the divorced parents on the nature . of their continuing relationship vis-a-vis their children leads to conflicts over custody and visitation. Introduction of one or more stepparents may further complicate matters. Several studies have addressed the nature of adjustments between children and stepparents. Some report findings of no significant differences in the behavior of children in reconstituted families when compared to children in biologic families.~·:!,4 Others suggest that the outcome for children living with stepparents is much less favorable.~)·6 One author7 identifies factors in the relationship between the stepparents and their stepchildren that lead to disruptions in the family. Another authors concludes that the age of the children in reconstituted families is not a factor in their relationship to the stepparents. This study, however, only surveyed the children at the time of parental separation and remarriage. Increasingly, blended families (that is, families including stepparents, children from previous marriages. and children from the present marriage) are a reality in American life. There is a need to further explore the potential positive and negative ramifications of step-relationships. There can be