Parent-child interaction and gender differences in early adolescents' adaptation to stepfamilies.

Abstract

This study examined gender differences in early adolescents' adaptation to mother-custody stepfamilies and extended previous work that found that girls have more difficulties adjusting to these stepfamilies than do boys. Parent-child interaction was compared in mother-custody stepfamilies and intact families, with a focus on gender-of-child effects on parent-stepparent behavior toward child and child behavior toward parent-stepparent