Boundary ambiguity in remarriage: does ambiguity differentiate degree of marital adjustment and integration?

Boundary ambiguity is believed to be more problematic for remarriage families than first-marriage families and as such has been the topic of discussion in the clinical literature. Yet, few empirical studies have focused on boundary ambiguity and even fewer have examined this construct in remarriage. This study examines differences between 216 spouses in remarriages classified as having low or high boundary ambiguity. High boundary ambiguity is more prevalent in certain types of remarriages (stepmother families with nonresidential children). Too, differences between groups are determined for a series of variables measuring marital adjustment and integration. Few significant differences are found when wives are compared with wives and husbands with husbands in remarriages characterized by low and high ambiguity. Several explanations are offered for these findings and recommendations for future research and clinical practice are provided.