STEPFAMILY WORLDS: ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDIES OF STEPFATHER-STEPSON COMMUNICATION
Open Access
- Author:
- Pettigrew, Jonathan
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 18, 2011
- Committee Members:
- Michelle E Day, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Michelle E Day, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Michael L Hecht, Committee Member
Jon F Nussbaum, Committee Member
J Doug Coatsworth, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Stepfamilies
Social Support
Fathers
Adolescents
Ethnography
Case Study - Abstract:
- This dissertation contributes a descriptive base to the study of stepfamily systems in general and stepfather-stepson interaction in particular by describing six ethnographic case studies of how stepfathers and stepsons communicate social support. Research on stepfamilies consistently demonstrates that some children in stepfamily households are at a risk for academic, psychological, and behavioral problems, and that supportive stepfather-stepchild relationships help counteract these negative outcomes for youth. Yet, little is known about how support is communicated and perceived in stepfather-stepchild relationships. Based on a relational view of communication, this dissertation details how social support is communicated and perceived by stepfathers and their stepsons within purposefully selected stepfamilies. Six rural, middle-class, Caucasian stepfamilies including a stepfather, a 10-14 year old stepson, and his biological mother were recruited from social groups in central Pennsylvania to be part of an in-depth investigation into the communication of support in stepfather-stepson pairs. Data were collected across a minimum of four weeks with each family through qualitative field work involving in-depth interviews with stepfathers, youth, and mothers; eight, two-hour observational visits of family interaction in naturalistic settings; and, online questionnaires completed by stepfathers, youth, and mothers. Analysis involved within case and cross case analyses of interview transcripts, fieldnotes, and questionnaire responses. Using a case study approach, within case analysis provided rich detail about individual and family level factors that resulted in a description of six distinct stepfather-stepson relational cultures of support embedded within stepfamily systems. Cross case analysis identified ways emotional, informational, and instrumental support was communicated between stepfather-stepson pairs and revealed six cross case patterns of supportive communication. Distinct from other families, stepfather-stepson support is influenced by interactions with nonresident households, such as stepfathers’ biological children, visitation schedules between households, and comparisons between stepfathers and biological fathers. Findings suggest a model where stepfathers’ motivation, experience, and social capital are communicated to stepsons through micro support messages that are encoded and decoded in light of the relational and family culture of support. Stepsons receive messages, sum them across interactions, and compare them against nonresident households in order to define and modify their perception of the relationship.