Family cohesion in remarried families

A random sample of sixty-eight remarried families was studied by use of FACES III, a widely accepted measure of family cohesion. The purpose of the study was to examine family cohesion in remarried families. Specifically, family cohesion in remarried families was compared with cohesion in a norm group of intact families, as well as investigated in light of the effects of specific variables associated with remarried families.

The results indicated that stepparents and natural parents' perceptions of cohesion did not differ significantly. The results confirmed that cohesion levels of remarried families with adolescents were lower than the cohesion levels of other remarried families in this study. Remarried families with adolescents also were found to have significantly lower levels of cohesion than other intact families with adolescents. Cohesion levels of remarried families in other life cycle stages were not found to differ significantly from cohesion levels of other intact families. Complexity of remarried family structure and years in the remarried family did not significantly affect the perceived cohesion levels.