Jan Pryor, Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.Jan Pryor is the Director of the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families. Her research has addressed children's perceptions of families; resilience in stepfamilies; cohabitation, marriage and parenting; and emotional conflict and estrangement between parents and its impact on children and adolescents. Jan teaches Family Psychology in the School of Psychology at Victoria University, and is a recognized expert in the English-speaking world in family dynamics, especially as they affect children.

• Foreword Paul R. Amato. Preface.Contributors.Introduction.Acknowledgments.Section I: INTERNATIONAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS.1 The Demography of Stepfamilies in the United States (Jay Teachman and Lucky Tedrow).2 Stereotypes of Stepfamilies and Stepfamily Members (Stephen Claxton-Oldfield).3 Stepfamilies in France Since the 1990s (Jean-François Mignot).4 The Social Context of Emerging Stepfamilies in Japan (Shinji Nozawa).5 Stepfathers in Cultural Context: Mexican American Families in the United States (Scott Coltrane, Erika Gutierrez, and Ross D. Parke).Section II: DYNAMICS WITHIN STEPFAMILY HOUSEHOLDS.6 Stepfathers in Families (Jeremy Robertson).7 Resident Mothers in Stepfamilies (Marjorie Smith).8 Sibling Relationships in Blended Families (Melinda E. Baham, Amy A. Weimer, Sanford L. Braver, and William V. Fabricius).9 Resident Parent-Child Relationships in Stepfamilies (Claire Cartwright).10 A Longitudinal Examination of Marital Processes Leading to Instability in Remarriages and Stepfamilies (Brad van Eeden-Moorefield and Kay Pasley).11 Children’s Appraisals of Relationships in Stepfamilies and First Families (Katherine H. Shelton, Sasha L. Walters, and Gordon T. Harold).12 The Distribution of Household Tasks in First-Marriage Families and Stepfamilies Across Europe (Laurent Snoeckx, Britt Dehertogh, and Dimitri Mortelmans).13 Communication in Stepfamilies (Tamara D. Afifi).Section III: INFLUENCES AND RELATIONSHIPS BEYOND THE HOUSEHOLD.14 Kinship in Stepfamilies (Graham Allan, Sheila Hawker, and Graham Crow).15 Children’s Relationships with Nonresident Parents (Jan Pryor).16 The Diversity of Stepmothers (Marilyn Coleman, Jessica Troilo, and Tyler Jamison).17 Intergenerational Relationships in Stepfamilies (Lawrence Ganong).Section IV: CLINICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES.18 A Clinician’s View of "Stepfamily Architecture" (Patricia L. Papernow).19 Research on Interventions for Stepfamily Couples (Sarah W. Whitton, Jan M. Nicholson, and Howard J. Markman).20 The Prevention and Treatment of Children’s Adjustment Problems in Stepfamilies (Jan M. Nicholson, Matthew R. Sanders, W. Kim Halford, Maddy Phillips, and Sarah W. Whitton).21 Legal Structures and Re-Formed Families (Bill Atkin).22 How Relevant Are U.S. Family and Probate Laws to Stepfamilies? (Sarah E. C. Malia).23 Where to from Here? Stepfamilies and the Future (Jan Pryor).Author Index.Subject Index.

"The different topics and perspecitives should be of interest to a wide range of family scholars and pracitioners working with families. In particular, the inclusion of clinical issues broadens the book's appeal. The book is international in scope.... The articles are well written; the book is well organized. Summing up: Highly recommended. Students, reseachers, faculty, professionals." (Choice, August 2009) "…is an important contribution to the literature about stepfamilies and is one of the few to take an international perspective. I enjoyed reading this book. Overall this is a volume that one should have on one's shelf. It provides a rich view of the research and scholarship on modern stepfamilies. The handbook clearly demonstrates why we need to continue to focus on this important family form, as stepfamilies will be with us in growing numbers over the next decades." (PsycCRITIQUES, 6/17/09)"This work looks at stepfamilies from many different perspectives. Each article is well written and heavily researched with current article citations. This allows one to find, in a convenient source, a wealth of information on stepfamilies that should generate questions for future research. This will be of interest to most libraries supporting studies in the family." (ARBAonline, August 2008)