The Impact of Different (Step)Family Trajectories on the Parent-Child Relationship

Sofie Vanassche, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Kim Bastaits, University of Antwerp
Koen Matthijs, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Christine Van Peer, Research Centre of the Flemish Government

Increasing divorce rates go hand in hand with an increasing number of children living together with a stepparent. In addition, as co-parenting is increasingly seen as the preferred parenting model following divorce, children are more and more entangled in a complex network of bi-nuclear (step)family relationships. As a consequence, the parent-child relationship may come under pressure. In this study, the relationship between the (step)family trajectories of children and different characteristics of the parent-child relationship are explored. Making use of the technique of sequence analysis, a typology of (step)family trajectories will be constructed. Therefore, data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study will be used. Next, the relationship between different family trajectories and the parent-child relationship will be explored.