Role strain and online social support for childless stepmothers

Using Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) Transactional Theory of Stress, a content analysis of 62 message sets identified role strain and social supportive behaviors utilized within an online support group for childless stepmothers. The stepmothers focused on issues related to stepchild living arrangements and interference of the biological mother. Results revealed positive correlations between stepchild investment and biological mother interference, stepchild investment, informational support, stepmother frustration and esteem support. Study implications include understanding issues and relationships that impact stepmother role strain, identifying the stress reappraisal process within actual messages written online, and focusing on the use of online social support for relationship based issues.

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