Attachment in the stepfamily : a social work perspective

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Since demographers are predicting that by the year 2010 stepfamilies will be the most prevalenttype of family in the USA, it is not surprising that stepfamily members in South Africa alsoconstitute a significant proportion of the clients of therapists, counsellors and social workers.From a developmental approach the present study examined attachment in stepfamilies withchildren in middle childhood. The literature review was focused on research fmdings related tothe issues examined in the study. Information was collected using multiple informants andmultiple methods. These included interviews, questionnaires and checklists of attachmentbehaviour symptoms. Because differences in perspectives were expected, information was soughtfrom parents and target children in order to obtain a broad view of family attachment. Theresearch design was qualitative and quantitative in nature.The main fmdings revealed that, although stepfamily members considered their families to beattached, factors such as the stepparent-stepchild relationship, length of marriage and unrealisticexpectations had a negative influence on attachment. Findings confirm that attachment to theparents remain the primary source of security and that the child's willingness to participate in thepartnership, influence attachment.The results clearly demonstrate that the children did not necessarily hold similar perceptions ofthe attachment in the family as the parents. Attachment theory provided a framework forunderstanding the complexities in stepfamily relationships.A synopsis of social work intervention with stepfamilies was developed based on an extensiveliterature study. Structured techniques within the five forms of play were used to consciouslyreplicate healthy parent-child relationships in order to facilitate attachment. A central feature ofthe interventions discussed, is the active participation of the parent with whom the child isexpected to learn to form an attachment relationship.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University