Envolvimento do pai/padrasto com seus filhos e enteados em famílias recasadas de classe média de Aracaju/Sergipe

Abstract

This doctoral thesis aims at analyzing the involvement of the father/stepfather with his children/stepchildren, from the perspective of the father/stepfather and of his current wife/partner, in remarried middle-class families from Aracaju/Sergipe. To achieve it, a multiple-case study was conducted with six couples from a remarried family, who were cohabiting in a civil or consensual union, for at least two years, and lived in a middle-class neighborhood of Aracaju / Sergipe. In addition, the participant had higher education level, was stepfather and father of a child or children from a previous marital union. For the data collection, a semi-structured interview script was constructed, in which the chosen participants were selected for accessibility. Recorded interviews were held in a place of convenience for the participants. The recordings were transcribed, and the data analyzed descriptively. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Catholic University of Salvador - UCSal, and the fathers/stepfathers and their current spouses/partners agreed to collaborate with the study by signing the Informed Consent Form (TCLE). The main results pointed out that they interfere in the paternal involvement with their children from previous marital unions: the father wishes and tries to maintain the relationship with the children; the ex-wife makes difficult the contact of the children with the father; support from the family of origin; the father had lived with the children before the divorce and lived daily with them after the separation; living with the father after the divorce; and the longer time of remarriage. On the aspects that influence the involvement of the stepfathers with stepchildren, it was identified: the biological father has little contact with the child or is absent; stepfather lives with the stepson; the support of the family of origin and of the current spouse/partner; the time of coexistence and cohabitation; the authority of the stepfather legitimized by the mother; characteristics of the stage of adolescence of the stepchild; the desire of the stepfather and of the stepson to interact; and the biological father does not pay alimony. In most cases, there was a high involvement between stepfathers and stepchildren, in terms of interaction and availability; and in one case only the involvement between them was low due to the presence of the biological father in the stepchild's life and the conflicts between father and stepfather. Most stepfathers consider themselves responsible for the education and care of the stepchild, except for two of them, in which the mother takes such responsibilities and provides financial support for the stepchildren. Thus, stepfathers assumed several of the functions commonly attributed to biological fathers, but they were unclear as to the limits of their role. In the remarried family, the conjugal role was present in all the interviewed couples, however, the parental function was differentiated among them, since the stepfathers were classified as: Substitute Father, Claimant Stepfather, and Stepfather Friend. In addition, analyzing paternity in a divorce situation implies considering the diversity of family relationships involved. In turn, the stepfather does not have a socially defined role and his performance will depend on numerous variables previously pointed out. It is concluded that parenting in the remarried family is complex and requires further studies on its specificities.