Divorce as Prelude to Stepfamily Living and the Consequences of Redivorce

Many researchers who have studied divorce, especially those who launched longitudinal projects, have gradually become stepfamily researchers. By the same token, many of us who started out primarily studying stepfamilies have “reached back” to explore divorce because of its importance as a precursor of remarriage and stepfamily living. Furthermore, redivorce, because of its frequency, is increasingly becoming a subject of interest for stepfamily researchers. Although often thought of by researchers and clinicians as separate processes, divorce and stepfamily dynamics are inexorably intertwined in the lives of many adults and children.