ABSTRACT

This study identifies a typology of adult stepparent-child and biological parent–child relationships by studying the structures in which relationship dimensions – affection, contact, support, and conflict – combine, building on the intergenerational solidarity paradigm. The existing literature on family complexity, which has analysed parent–child relationships one-dimensionally, and exclusively considered positive dimensions, requires a more integrated approach to describe the diverse landscape of (step)parent–child relationships. Using the OKiN anchor data, based on a stratified random sample of Dutch adults (aged 25–45), this study simultaneously analysed closeness, contact, support, and conflict in stepparent-child (N = 3,896) and biological parent–child relationships (N = 9,467), using latent profile analysis (LPA). These data provided adults’ reports on up to four relationships to their (step)parents. LPA revealed four relationship profiles among biological parent–child as well as stepparent-child dyads: harmonious, ambivalent, detached, and conflictual. One relationship profile, disharmonious, was unique for step-dyads. Although the distribution over these profiles differs between step-dyads and biological dyads, it seems more strongly differentiated by parental separation, co-residential history, and parental gender. This study reveals the multi-dimensional diversity that lies beneath the comparison of averages of single dimensions of parent–child relationships, and calls for more nuance in studying family ties.

摘要

本研究建立在代际团结范式的基础上，通过研究关系维度（情感、接触、支持和冲突）结合的结构，确定了成人继父母-子女和亲生父母-子女关系的类型。现有的关于家庭复杂性的文献从一维的角度分析了亲子关系，并且只考虑了积极的维度，需要一种更综合的方法来描述（继）亲子关系的多样化景观。使用 OKiN 锚点数据，基于荷兰成年人（25-45 岁）的分层随机样本，本研究同时分析了继父母与子女（N = 3,896）和生物学亲子关系 （否 = 9,467)，使用潜在剖面分析 (LPA)。这些数据提供了成年人与其（继）父母的最多四种关系的报告。LPA 揭示了亲生父母与子女以及继父母与子女之间的四种关系概况：和谐、矛盾、分离和冲突。一种不和谐的关系概况对于继夫妻来说是独一无二的。尽管这些概况的分布在继父母和生物夫妻之间有所不同，但父母分居、同居史和父母性别之间的差异似乎更大。这项研究揭示了亲子关系单一维度平均值比较背后的多维多样性，并呼吁在研究家庭关系时有更多的细微差别。