Stepfamily

A family formed when at least one adult has a child from a previous relationship and a stepparent, stepchild, or stepsibling joins the family.

Stepparent: A person who is married to or partnered with a child's parent but is not the child's biological or adoptive parent. A stepparent is one of the relationships that can define a stepfamily.
Family systems theory: An approach that understands family members as interdependent parts of a changing relational system. It explains how changes in one relationship can affect the wider stepfamily.
Remarriage: Marriage entered into after the end of an earlier marriage through divorce or widowhood. Remarriage can bring a new spouse into a family with children from an earlier marriage.
Stepfamily adjustment: The process by which family members adapt to relationships and routines after a stepfamily forms. Adjustment describes the changes that can follow the formation of a new family unit.
Stepchild: A person's spouse's or partner's child from another relationship, who is not that person's biological or adoptive child. A stepchild's presence links a parent's new partnership to an earlier family relationship.
Family boundary: A rule, expectation, or practice that shapes who belongs to a family unit and how members relate. Stepfamilies negotiate boundaries between new household relationships and existing parent-child ties.
Family therapy: Psychotherapy that works with family relationships and interaction patterns to address distress or conflict. Therapy can help members address transitions, boundaries, and disagreements in a stepfamily.
Sibling relationship: The emotional and social relationship between siblings, including siblings who are not biologically related. New stepsibling ties can develop alongside existing sibling relationships.
Stepsibling: A child who has a stepparent in common with another child but shares no biological or adoptive parent with them. Stepsiblings may become part of one household when their parents form a partnership.
Parental role: The set of responsibilities and expectations associated with caring for and raising a child. Stepparents and biological parents may need to clarify authority and caregiving responsibilities.

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