This is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript as accepted for publication. The publisher-formatted version may be available through the publisher’s web site or your institution’s library. This item was retrieved from the K-State... more
This is the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript as accepted for publication. The publisher-formatted version may be available through the publisher’s web site or your institution’s library. This item was retrieved from the K-State Research Exchange (K-REx), the institutional
Research Interests:
The fulfilment of Child Support payments following divorce is important to ensure children’s wellbeing. Guided by a model of normative influences, we investigated how individuals perceived Child Su...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The purposes of this study were to examine the strategies that stepparents use to develop and maintain affinity with stepchildren and the effects that these strategies have on the development of stepparent-stepchild relationships. Data... more
The purposes of this study were to examine the strategies that stepparents use to develop and maintain affinity with stepchildren and the effects that these strategies have on the development of stepparent-stepchild relationships. Data were collected via interviews with members of 17 stepfamilies in which there was at least one stepchild between the ages of 10 and 19 living in the household. Stepparent-stepchild relationships are characterized by liking and affection when stepparents focus on developing friendships with stepchildren and when they continue those efforts after they begin sharing a residence together. We identified 31 affinity-seeking strategies. Dyadic activities worked best, but it is important that stepchildren recognize affinity-seeking attempts. The success of affinity-seeking and affinity-maintaining strategies are contingent on the interpersonal and intrapersonal contexts within which they occur. In the stepfamilies in which step-relationships were poor, there w...
Research Interests:
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Rationale for Providing Physical Care for Elders Conference Sponsor: Midwest Nursing Research Society Conference Year: 2004 Author: Ganong, Lawrence, PhD Contact Address: Sinclair SON, 313 Nursing... more
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Rationale for Providing Physical Care for Elders Conference Sponsor: Midwest Nursing Research Society Conference Year: 2004 Author: Ganong, Lawrence, PhD Contact Address: Sinclair SON, 313 Nursing Building, Columbia, ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Remarried stepfamilies are a sizable portion of American families; in a 2011 Pew Center survey, 42% of respondents reported at least one stepfamily member. Family clinicians and researchers suggest that stepparents' ability to develop... more
Remarried stepfamilies are a sizable portion of American families; in a 2011 Pew Center survey, 42% of respondents reported at least one stepfamily member. Family clinicians and researchers suggest that stepparents' ability to develop close bonds with stepchildren may be critical to the well-being of couple and family relationships. Using actor-partner interdependence models to analyze dyadic data from 291 heterosexual remarried stepfamily couples, we explored factors related to stepparents' efforts to befriend their stepchildren. Specifically, we evaluated how remarried parents' gatekeeping and stepparents' perceptions of their attachment orientations were associated with their own and their spouse's perceptions of stepparents' affinity-seeking behaviors. Securely attached stepparents and stepparents with anxious attachment orientations engaged more frequently in affinity behaviors than did stepparents with avoidant attachment orientations; there was no difference between securely attached and anxious stepparents. Stepparents' reports of parents' restrictive gatekeeping were strongly and negatively associated with both stepparents' and parents' reports of stepparent affinity-seeking (actor and partner effects). Parents' reports of their own restrictive gatekeeping were also negatively (but more weakly) associated with parents' reports of stepparent affinity-seeking. Implications for families, clinicians, and relationship researchers and theorists are discussed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Due to rising rates of non-marital birth in the United States, unmarried families have been the subject of extensive research and the target of government funded interventions over the last 15 years. Despite a growing literature on this... more
Due to rising rates of non-marital birth in the United States, unmarried families have been the subject of extensive research and the target of government funded interventions over the last 15 years. Despite a growing literature on this population, few studies have addressed how unmarried couples coparent in the context of poverty. In the present study we used in-depth interviews with paired mothers and fathers to explore resilience processes in unmarried coparenting. We found that unmarried couples aspired to be good coparents, but the stress of living in poverty and the challenges of parenting young children led some to experience family strain or crisis. Using family stress theory as a framework for organizing the findings, we concluded that family resource management distinguished couples that adapted successfully to the task of coparenting from those that struggled to do so. Implications for theory, future research, and practice are discussed.
How do practitioners work with stepfamilies? Stepfamily education programs are presented along with a brief discussion of what is taught. Materials on the WWW, self-help materials, self-help groups, and bibliotherapy are briefly... more
How do practitioners work with stepfamilies? Stepfamily education programs are presented along with a brief discussion of what is taught. Materials on the WWW, self-help materials, self-help groups, and bibliotherapy are briefly discussed. Topics presented in the chapter include: affinity strategies, learning co-parenting skills, obtaining financial skills, variability in individual, relational, and familial life course, creating ritual and traditions, maintaining parent–child bonds, strengthening couple bonds, normalizing stepfamilies communicational skills, validating feelings, reducing feelings of helplessness, and reframing issues, among others.
ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Health care services are typically viewed as institutions or agencies offering professional care or care supervised by professionals. The concept of availability of health care services involves the degree to which persons can... more
ABSTRACT Health care services are typically viewed as institutions or agencies offering professional care or care supervised by professionals. The concept of availability of health care services involves the degree to which persons can readily find professional care. Few scholars have considered the relevance of these notions to life-circumstances of older homebound women who experience emergent situations (ES) at home such as falls, unintentional injuries, or health problems. During a larger descriptive phenomenological study of the experience of reaching help quickly, 33 of 40 homebound women, aged 85–98 years, who were living alone, reported 57 situations of interest during open-ended interviews over 18 months. The purposes of this facet of the study were (a) to describe the life-world of women who had fortuitous help with ES at home, (b) to categorize helpers involved, and (c) to elaborate the reported influence of such situations on recognizing the risk of being unable to reach help quickly in the future. Life-world was featured by having help right now from someone on the scene. We categorized involved helpers into six types, including four previously identified types of home care helpers as well as (a) “on-the-spot” helpers, acquaintances not among the woman's home care helpers and (b) “at-this-scene-only” helpers, who were not likely to encounter the woman afterwards. In these ES, the home – not the health care institution – was the setting. On-the-scene helpers served as critical health care resources. In contrast to the typical focus on availability of health care services in a public space, availability of on-the-scene helpers in the home, a private space, was critical to the well-being of these old homebound women. This work raises new notions about availability of health care services for older homebound women and offers new perspectives on the key support network concepts of proximity and frequency of contact.
Research Interests:
This study investigated the effect of family structure on previous dating behavior of older adolescents, and examined the relationship of family structure, family relationship variables, and personal attributes to previous dating... more
This study investigated the effect of family structure on previous dating behavior of older adolescents, and examined the relationship of family structure, family relationship variables, and personal attributes to previous dating behaviors. Data were obtained from 96 males and 81 females enrolled in human development courses at two midwestern universities; 122 were from intact, nuclear families and 55 were from nonintact families. The Dating and Courtship Behavior Questionnaire, adapted from questionnaires by Winch (1949a) and Landis (1963), was administered to subjects during regular class periods. Family structure did not have an effect on number of partners or steadies, but adolescents from nonintact households began dating at younger ages than those from intact households. Personal attributes were more often related to dating behaviors than family structure or family relationship variables. Little support was found for the proposition that dating behaviors were affected by famil...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Estimates of the number of gay and lesbian couples are likely to be lower than the actual number because identifying oneself publicly as part of a gay or lesbian couple may be riskier than coming out of the closet as an... more
ABSTRACT Estimates of the number of gay and lesbian couples are likely to be lower than the actual number because identifying oneself publicly as part of a gay or lesbian couple may be riskier than coming out of the closet as an individual (Bryant & Demian, 1994; Kaiser Family Foundation, 2001). Based on data from the latest U.S. Census (2002), 301,026 households were headed by a male householder and a male partner and 293,365 households were headed by a female householder and a female partner. Some of these are long-term relationships—between 8% and 21% of lesbian couples and between 18% and 28% of gay couples have lived together 10 or more years (Blumstein & Schwartz, 1983; Bryant & Demian, 1994; Falkner & Garber, 2002; Kurdek, 2004; The Advocate sex poll, 2002).
Research Interests:
We live in an era when the term dating is considered old fashioned, and in fact, the concept of dating may be passe as well. However, dating, or whatever term is currently used, is a relevant concept when considering the processes by... more
We live in an era when the term dating is considered old fashioned, and in fact, the concept of dating may be passe as well. However, dating, or whatever term is currently used, is a relevant concept when considering the processes by which individuals find and choose romantic partners. We use the term courtship to describe the general methods used by adults when seeking and selecting a mate. This chapter focuses mostly on courtship for remarriage because there is far more information about remarried couples than cohabiting couples who have children from prior relationships. When there is relevant information on cohabiting couples, either gay or heterosexual, we include it.
Research Interests:
The adult couple relationship, whether it is a remarriage or a cohabiting relationship between heterosexual or homosexual partners, is an important one in stepfamilies. After all, most stepfamilies are created because two adults decide to... more
The adult couple relationship, whether it is a remarriage or a cohabiting relationship between heterosexual or homosexual partners, is an important one in stepfamilies. After all, most stepfamilies are created because two adults decide to live together or to get married, so it is logical to expect that the couple will be a critical element of most stepfamilies.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
Although kin and church are considered premier support sources for rural elders, few scholars have undertaken descriptive studies to explore the nature of rural Black elders’ support networks and their preferences for in-home service... more
Although kin and church are considered premier support sources for rural elders, few scholars have undertaken descriptive studies to explore the nature of rural Black elders’ support networks and their preferences for in-home service providers. In the case study described in this article, methods of support network analysis and descriptive phenomenology were used to analyze data from five lengthy, open-ended interviews with a 94-year-old rural Black woman. The various groups and individuals of her network are labeled in her words, the network’s supportive functions are described, and preferences for providers are noted. In addition, the varying structures of her home care experience with the support network members are described. Her attempts to voice and exercise her preferences for in-home service providers are explained in terms of two contrasting processes: preference uptake and preference suppression. Based on these findings, implications for appraising the appropriateness of r...
Research Interests: Religion, Family, Consumer Behavior, Qualitative Health Research, Medicine, and 12 moreSelf Help Groups, Humans, Female, Missouri, Caregivers, African Americans, Aged, Rural Health Services, Organizational case studies, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Interviews as topic, and Medical and Health Sciences
Page 1. Personal Relationships, 8 (2001), 55-73. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright 0 2001 ISSPR. 1350-4126/01 $9.50 When you're not the Brady Bunch: Identifying perceived conflicts and resolution strategies in... more
Page 1. Personal Relationships, 8 (2001), 55-73. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright 0 2001 ISSPR. 1350-4126/01 $9.50 When you're not the Brady Bunch: Identifying perceived conflicts and resolution strategies in stepfamilies ...
Research Interests:
Page 1. Personal Relationships, 5 (1998), 293-309. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright 0 1998 ISSPR. 1350-4126/98 $9.50 Attitudes toward men's intergenerational financial obligations to older and younger male family... more
Page 1. Personal Relationships, 5 (1998), 293-309. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright 0 1998 ISSPR. 1350-4126/98 $9.50 Attitudes toward men's intergenerational financial obligations to older and younger male family members following divorce ...
Research Interests:
This grounded theory study examined the processes by which women make custody decisions and manage co-parenting after divorce with abusive former husbands. Nineteen women who left abusive husbands were interviewed. Fears, pragmatic... more
This grounded theory study examined the processes by which women make custody decisions and manage co-parenting after divorce with abusive former husbands. Nineteen women who left abusive husbands were interviewed. Fears, pragmatic concerns, and family ideology pushed them toward custody agreements that continued their involvement with former husbands after divorce. Men who were controlling during marriage were very involved with children postdivorce and continued to exert control over mothers. As a result, women managed conflict, set boundaries, and resisted control in the context of ongoing fear. Postdivorce abuse, positive changes in fathers, and children’s recognition of abuse influenced how women co-parented over time. Fears, pragmatic concerns, and family ideology continued to influence their decisions as they planned for the future.
Research Interests:
The factor structure of Sprecher and Metts’ (1989) Romantic Beliefs Scale (ROMBEL) was investigated with a sample of 254 African-American and 234 European-American college students (342 females and 146 males). Confirmatory and exploratory... more
The factor structure of Sprecher and Metts’ (1989) Romantic Beliefs Scale (ROMBEL) was investigated with a sample of 254 African-American and 234 European-American college students (342 females and 146 males). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to evaluate the generalizability of the model. Differences in the factor structures between African-American and European-American respondents were found. The factor structure did not replicate for African-American respondents. Because the measure was developed using a predominately white sample, implications for its use in research on more diverse populations are discussed.
Research Interests:
The purposes of this study were to determine the degree of consistency in stepfamily members' perceptions of the step-parent role, to examine the relation between the degree of consistency in role perceptions and adjustment in... more
The purposes of this study were to determine the degree of consistency in stepfamily members' perceptions of the step-parent role, to examine the relation between the degree of consistency in role perceptions and adjustment in stepfamilies, and to determine the extent to which clarity pertaining to the step-parent role was related to adjustment. Step-parents, parents and stepchildren from 40 stepfamilies completed a series of self-report questionnaires pertaining to their perceptions of the step-parent role and multiple levels of adjustment in their stepfamilies. Step-parents and parents perceived that the step-parent should and does play an active parental role, stepchildren were more likely to perceive that the step-parent should assume the less active role of `friend', and consistency in role perceptions was moderately strongly related to the interpersonal dimensions of adjustment in stepfamilies. The findings suggest that stepchildren have differing perceptions of the st...
Research Interests: Psychology and Social
Qualitative approaches are excellent ways to investigate family dynamics and family relationships. In the present study, we identify four goals in which qualitative methods benefit researchers: (1) obtaining family members’ meanings about... more
Qualitative approaches are excellent ways to investigate family dynamics and family relationships. In the present study, we identify four goals in which qualitative methods benefit researchers: (1) obtaining family members’ meanings about family interactions and relationships; (2) acquiring family insiders’ views about relational processes and observing family interactions; (3) examining families within contexts; and (4) giving voice to marginalized families and family members. Qualitative methods often yield extraordinarily rich data and exceed quantitative approaches for achieving some research goals. We examine how qualitative research may enhance scholarship on family relationships, highlighting selected studies on structurally diverse families as examples.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Context of Remarried Families Paths to Remarried Family Life Remarriage Relationships Stepparent-Stepchild Relationships Other Stepfamily Relationships Clinical and Developmental Perspectives Epilogue The Study of Remarried Families... more
The Context of Remarried Families Paths to Remarried Family Life Remarriage Relationships Stepparent-Stepchild Relationships Other Stepfamily Relationships Clinical and Developmental Perspectives Epilogue The Study of Remarried Families in the 1990s
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... Stepmothers saw themselves as outsiders (Church; Orchard & Solberg; Weaver & Coleman, 2005), and some stepparents of both genders were seen as focusing their energies on their marriages or jobs rather than on their... more
... Stepmothers saw themselves as outsiders (Church; Orchard & Solberg; Weaver & Coleman, 2005), and some stepparents of both genders were seen as focusing their energies on their marriages or jobs rather than on their step-relationships (Erera-Weatherly; Weaver & ...
Research Interests:
... Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Bryan, Hugh, Lawrence Ganong, Marilyn Coleman, and Linda Bryan. 1985. ... "Myths that intrude on the adaptation of the stepfamily." Social Casework 49: 131-139. Siebert, Kathy, Lawrence Ganong,... more
... Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Bryan, Hugh, Lawrence Ganong, Marilyn Coleman, and Linda Bryan. 1985. ... "Myths that intrude on the adaptation of the stepfamily." Social Casework 49: 131-139. Siebert, Kathy, Lawrence Ganong, Virginia Hagemann, and Marilyn Coleman. In press. ...
Research Interests:
Despite growing numbers of singles, the idealization of marriage and child rearing remains strong, pervasive, and largely unquestioned. Guided by life course perspective, the purpose of this article was to examine familial and societal... more
Despite growing numbers of singles, the idealization of marriage and child rearing remains strong, pervasive, and largely unquestioned. Guided by life course perspective, the purpose of this article was to examine familial and societal messages women receive when not married by their late 20s to mid-30s. Using descriptive phenomenological method, the authors conducted 32 interviews with 10 middle-class, ever-single women. Respondents’ social environments were characterized by pressure to confirm to the conventional life pathway. Pressure was manifested in women feeling both highly visible and invisible. Specifically, women’s social worlds included (a) awareness of the changing reality as they became older (e.g., changing pool of eligible men, pregnancy risks), (b) reminders that they were on a different life path (i.e., visibility ) through others’ inquires and “triggers” (e.g., weddings), and (c) displacement in their families of origin (i.e., invisibility). The authors discuss the...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Using a vignette approach that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methodology, these researchers investigated the incomplete institutionalization hypothesis and the social stigma hypothesis as they relate to cultural... more
Using a vignette approach that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methodology, these researchers investigated the incomplete institutionalization hypothesis and the social stigma hypothesis as they relate to cultural perceptions of stepparent roles. Two studies were conducted; data were collected from 435 college students. The results neither clearly supported nor refuted the incomplete institutionalization hypothesis, and it was cautiously concluded that
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... Lawrence Ganong, S431 School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 Marilyn Coleman, Child and Family Development, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211. Journal of Counseling Psychology Volume 32,... more
... Lawrence Ganong, S431 School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 Marilyn Coleman, Child and Family Development, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211. Journal of Counseling Psychology Volume 32, Issue 2, April 1985, Pages 279-282. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The aims of this study were: a) to examine general perceptions of filial obligations toward sharing housing with older parents and stepparents; and b) to assess the effects of selected contextual factors on those normative beliefs. A... more
The aims of this study were: a) to examine general perceptions of filial obligations toward sharing housing with older parents and stepparents; and b) to assess the effects of selected contextual factors on those normative beliefs. A national sample of 579 men and 582 women (mean age = 44.6, SD = 17.2) responded to a multiple segment factorial vignette in which an older parent or stepparent was portrayed as needing help with housing. Respondents thought that parents should be helped more than stepparents, younger adults with greater resources were more obligated to help older parents and stepparents than were those with meager resources, and older parents and stepparents with greater need acuity were expected to be helped more than older parents and stepparents with less serious housing needs. Attitudes about co-residence were based on family obligation norms, beliefs about repaying older adults for past help, perceived relationship quality, other demands on the younger adult's ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spousal locus-of-control orientation and marital satisfaction. Two competing hypotheses were examined. The similar ity hypothesis states that spouses with similar... more
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spousal locus-of-control orientation and marital satisfaction. Two competing hypotheses were examined. The similar ity hypothesis states that spouses with similar locus-of-control orientation will be more satisfied with their marriage than will those with dissimilar orientations. The internality hypothesis postulates that couples in which both partners have an internal locus-of-control orientation will be more satisfied than will other couples. The similarity hypothesis was not supported by the results. The data were more consistent with the internality hypothesis, although the interaction effect shows that one's internality is more important than the partner's internal locus of control. Implications of these findings for family practitioners are discussed.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Suggests how teachers and schools should treat children and their stepfamilies, illustrating the positive aspects of stepfamily living and listing classroom materials representing stepfamily lifestyles. (CI)