Thriving in Stepfamilies: Exploring Competence and Well-being Among African American Youth

Abstract 

Although scholars conclude that children/adolescents in two-parent nuclear families have an advantage over those in stepfamilies, emerging evidence indicates that the experiences of African American youths have been overshadowed. In three replicated studies, we detected no differences on several important and commonly assessed well-being and competence indicators among samples of African American youth in two-parent nuclear and stepfamilies.

Keywords: African American adolescents, stepfamilies, blended families, African American mental health, family structure