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Does Shared Parenting Help or Hurt Children in High-Conflict Divorced Families?
Abstract
Despite a recent shift in the allocation of parenting time arrangements following divorce, there is no clear consensus regarding the effects of shared parenting on children’s adjustment in high-conflict families. We propose key questions and methodological options to increase the ability of results from well-designed empirical studies to inform practice and policy. We review 11 studies of relations between parenting time and parenting quality with children’s adjustment in high-conflict divorced families. Despite heterogeneity of methods used across the studies, some tentative conclusions can be made based on findings of multiple studies. Higher levels of shared parenting were related to poorer child adjustment in samples with high conflict many years following the divorce, but typically not in samples that assessed conflict during the divorcing process or in the 2 or 3 years following the divorce. There is also evidence that the effects of shared parenting on child adjustment in the presence of high conflict differs by gender, and that high quality of parenting by at least 1 parent is associated with better child adjustment in high-conflict divorces. Implications for policy and practice are discussed as well as directions for research to strengthen the knowledge base to inform policy.
... Although it is still in dispute whether the beneficial effects of high-quality parenting would be substantially reduced by high interparental conflict following parental separation or divorce (Nielsen, 2017), accumulating research has generally indicated that following parental divorce children tend to have the best adaptation outcomes when parenting quality is high in both parents and interparental conflict is low. Moreover, there is also some evidence showing that high-quality parenting by one parent may compensate for the deleterious effects of interparental conflict and low-quality parenting by the other parent on child adjustment (Carr et al., 2019;King & Sobolewski, 2006;Lau, 2017;Mahrer et al., 2016Mahrer et al., , 2018Sandler et al., 2008Sandler et al., , 2012Sandler et al., , 2013. As such, a more pertinent question that awaits to be more thoroughly addressed appears to be whether and how high-quality parenting following divorce or separation is beneficial for child adaptation in the presence of other conditions that often threaten child well-being (e.g., protracted, high levels of interparental conflict). ...
... In addition, in a sample of 100 children obtained during the years 1981-1983 from family courts within the San Francisco Bay area, Johnston et al. (1989) identified some interesting patterns of gender differences, such that girls' affective and behavioral adjustment appeared to be more negatively affected by their frequent access to both parents in highly disputed joint custody, whereas boys who had more access to the less seen parent had lower social competence scores (e.g., involvement with friends and outside activities), but their behavioral adjustment was not significantly affected by high access to both parents. Thus, further clarifications of the associations among pre/postdivorce conflict, parenting and child adaptation call for more systematical examinations of gender differences (see Mahrer et al., 2018). ...
... Both predivorce and postdivorce stages in our proposed model are relatively broad time periods, which can be further subdivided on a time scale with years or even months as the unit so as to more adequately capture the varied levels of interparental conflict over time. This important nuance is informed by Mahrer et al.'s (2018) literature review of empirical studies concerned with the associations between parenting time and parenting quality with children's adjustment in high-conflict divorced families. Specifically, they found that higher levels of shared parenting were related to poorer child adjustment in samples with high interparental conflict many years following the divorce, but typically not in samples that assessed interparental conflict during the divorcing process or in the 2 or 3 years following the divorce. ...
Divorce has been conceptualized as a process. Research has extensively demonstrated that it is pre/postdivorce family environment factors that primarily account for the variability in children’s adaptation over parental divorce process rather than the legal divorce per se. Amongst various factors, interparental conflict has been consistently identified as a prominent one. Surprisingly, a single source is still lacking that comprehensively synthesizes the extant findings. This review fills this gap by integrating the numerous findings across studies into a more coherent Divorce Process and Child Adaptation Trajectory Typology (DPCATT) Model to illustrate that pre/postdivorce interparental conflict plays crucial roles in shaping child adaptation trajectories across parental divorce process. This review also summarizes the mechanisms (e.g., child cognitive and emotional processes, coparenting, parent–child relations) via which pre/postdivorce interparental conflict determines these trajectories and the factors (e.g., child gender and age, child coping, grandparental support) that interact with pre/postdivorce interparental conflict to further complicate these trajectories. In addition, echoing the call of moving beyond the monolithic conceptualization of pre/postdivorce interparental conflict, we also review studies on the differential implications of different aspects (e.g., frequency versus intensity) and types (e.g., overt versus covert) of interparental conflict for child adjustment. Last, limitations of prior studies and avenues for future research are discussed. The proposed framework may serve as a common knowledge base for researchers to compare/interpret results, detect cutting edges of the fields, and design new studies. The specificity, complexity, nuance, and diversity inherent within our proposed model await to be more fully revealed.
... Concretely, there are two confl icting positions. On the one hand, the hypothesis of benefi t (Lamb, 2014;Nielsen, 2017Nielsen, , 2018Warshak, 2014), which points out that "the more parenting, the more benefi t." From this position, good relationships of support and affection with both parents are more closely linked to the children's well-being than the interparental confl ict (IPC) itself (Mahrer et al., 2018;Vezzetti, 2016). On the other hand, the confl ict theory is empirically supported by the impact of IPC on children's behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems (Jiménez-García et al., 2019;Martínez-Pampliega et al., 2016;Smyth & Chisholm, 2017;Yárnoz-Yaben & Garmendia, 2016;Zumbach, 2016). ...
... From this assumption, JPC is contraindicated in IPC situations. That is, more parenting time will be damaging when confl ict is high because the children will be more likely to have loyalty confl icts (Jaffe, 2014;Mahrer et al., 2018;Ranieri et al., 2016;Steinbach, 2019) and, in some cases, like situations of violence, the consequences for the children in JPC arrangements would be very harmful (Fabricius et al., 2018;Sandler et al., 2013). In addition, the studies in this line highlight that JPC arrangements are not necessarily linked to positive parental involvement (Elam et al., 2016;McIntosh et al., 2014;Modecki et al., 2015;Smyth & Chisholm, 2017). ...
... Therefore, the notable premise about maintaining parental involvement through JPC does not seem to be confi rmed in this study (Nielsen, 2018;Vezzetti, 2016), which seems to agree more with the warning of Fabricius et al. (2018) about possible JPC without coparenting. Therefore, prescribing a JPC custody without considering coparenting could increase the risk of incorrect allocations (Mahrer et al., 2018;Parkinson, 2018), an aspect that should be examined in detail in future studies, with larger and more representative samples. ...
Background:
There is much controversy about the impact of joint physical custody on child symptomatology in the context of high interparental conflict. In this study we analyzed child symptomatology with person-centered methodology, identifying differential profiles, considering post-divorce custody, parental symptomatology, and coparenting variables. We examined the association between these profiles and child symptomatology, as well as the mediating role of parenting in that association.
Method:
The participants were 303 divorced or separated Spanish parents with high interparental conflict. We used the study of latent profiles and the INDIRECT procedure in Mplus. We also controlled for the variables age and number of children, new partners, frequency of the relationship with the ex-partner, time elapsed since the divorce, and gender of the parent.
Results:
From the parents' perspective, the profile characterized by low parental symptomatology and high coparenting, regardless of the type of custody, was related to children exhibiting less somatic, anxious, and depressive symptomatology, and aggressive behavior. The mediating role of parenting was also identified.
Conclusions:
Parental symptomatology, coparenting, and parenting are essential for understanding post-divorce child symptomatology and the study highlights importance of person-centered multidimensional models.
... Not every study has found that conflict predicts worse adjustment in JPC (Mahrer et al. 2018). It may be that children's problems in high conflict JPC become more evident as time passes (Mahrer et al. 2018). ...
... Not every study has found that conflict predicts worse adjustment in JPC (Mahrer et al. 2018). It may be that children's problems in high conflict JPC become more evident as time passes (Mahrer et al. 2018). The definition of high conflict also varies between studies. ...
... This work focused on the role of the parental relationship or, be it less so, on the role of parental resources. Studies examined whether frequent contact with both parents (i.e., shared residence or nonresident father-child contact) is less beneficial for children in case parents have high conflict (Mahrer et al. 2018) or little communication . A handful of studies tap in on the parental resource argument by examining whether frequent parent-child contact is particularly beneficial in case of a good (pre-divorce) parentchild relationship (Poortman 2018;Videon 2002). ...
This open access book provides an overview of the ever-growing phenomenon of children in shared physical custody thereby providing legal, psychological, family sociological and demographical insights. It describes how, despite the long evolution of broken families, only the last decade has seen a radical shift in custody arrangements for children in divorced families and the gender revolution in parenting which is taking place. The chapters have a national or cross-national perspective and address topics like prevalence and types of shared physical custody, legal frames regulating custody arrangements, stability and changes in arrangements across the life course of children, socio‐economic, psychological, social well-being of various family members involved in different custody arrangements. With the book being an interdisciplinary collaboration, it is interesting read for social scientists in demography, sociology, psychology, law and policy makers with an interest family studies and custody arrangements.
... Less literature is available regarding the child's perspective of the implications of parental separation on the enforcement of disciplinary strategies. However, the studies that do exist exhibit that children who experience a combination of a warm parent-child relationship alongside the appropriate use of discipline (e.g., consistently implemented, consequences match the transgression) have been documented to show the most positive adjustments postseparation (Mahrer et al., 2018). On the other hand, research has linked inconsistent discipline strategies to the onset of delinquent behaviors, particularly amongst early adolescents (Halgunseth et al., 2013). ...
... Further, and also in line with previous research, it was predicted child behavior outcomes would be the least optimal amongst non-custodial fathers (Coakley, 2013;McLanahan, 2013). Studies have emphasized the potentially nuanced interactions between disciplinary strategies, paternal custody status, and child behavior outcomes amongst fathers with either joint-custody or resident status (Halgunseth et al., 2013;Mahrer et al., 2018). Thus, we again remained agnostic regarding which of these remaining two groups would fall directly below non-custody fathers and so forth. ...
Little research has been conducted on the unique experiences of fathers following parental separation, much less on the different experiences of fathers who have varying degrees of parenting responsibilities. Although it is still more common for children to reside primarily with their mothers after separation, the numbers of resident fathers are increasing (Hemez & Washington, 2021). Understanding parenting and mental health among separated fathers is important in developing relevant, accessible services and supports. The current study is a descriptive analysis of how custodial status among separated fathers of 9-year-old children is associated with parental perceptions, relationship quality, parenting stress, paternal depression, disciplinary behavior, and child behavior outcomes. Results showed that positive views of fatherhood appear the highest among resident fathers and lowest among non-custodial fathers, yet parental stress remained moderately high across all groups. Depression was lowest among fathers with joint custody and significantly higher among non-custodial fathers, raising questions about the association between mental health and fathers’ involvement in childrearing. Resident fathers also reported the greatest quality of the father-child relationship, and highest frequency of disciplinary behaviors. Joint-custody fathers were the highest in positive ratings of the coparenting relationship. There were no group differences in parenting stress and child behavioral problems. These results reflect a complex relationship between paternal custodial status and the multifaceted experience of being a father not cohabitating with the child’s biological mother. Directions for future research on fathers’ experiences as parents and policy implications for supporting parents and children after separation are discussed.
... Shared co-parenting schedules are increasingly being ordered for divorcing families whereby the child lives with each parent at least 30% of the time (Mahrer et al., 2018). Although this is generally associated with improved outcomes for children, it often results in poor child adjustment when high interparental conflict persists (Jiménez-García et al., 2019;Mahrer et al., 2018). ...
... Shared co-parenting schedules are increasingly being ordered for divorcing families whereby the child lives with each parent at least 30% of the time (Mahrer et al., 2018). Although this is generally associated with improved outcomes for children, it often results in poor child adjustment when high interparental conflict persists (Jiménez-García et al., 2019;Mahrer et al., 2018). Approximately 90% of post-divorce families resolve their custody arrangements without significant court involvement. ...
Approximately 10% of post-divorce custody cases become extended high conflict custody litigation in the family courts. Coincidentally, research suggests that approximately 10% of the population has narcissistic-borderline-dark personality pathology. Both narcissistic and borderline personalities use virtuous victim narratives to manipulate others for self-serving agendas and decompensate into encapsulated persecutory delusions under stress, and these delusions can then be imposed on the child through manipulative parental psychological control. If not accurately diagnosed, the child’s persecutory delusions induced by the narcissistic-borderline-dark personality parent can mislead the court into making damaging decisions. Relying on the established professional knowledge from attachment, personality disorder pathology, and family systems therapy, Childress (2015) identified a set of three diagnostic indicators (DI) and 12 associated clinical signs (ACS) that are predicted to reliably identify psychological child abuse by a narcissistic-borderline-dark personality parent who is creating a shared persecutory delusion and false attachment pathology in the child. The three DI are predicted to always be present, while the 12 ACS are predicted to often be present as symptom indicators. This study examined the prevalence of the 12 ACS in a data set drawn from high conflict custody litigation. At least five ACS were evident in every family, and 41 of the 46 families had nine or more ACS. The prevalence rates for each individual ACS ranged from 30% to 100%, with nine ACS present in over 80% of the families. Further research using clinical interviews rather than archival data to identify the DI and ACS is recommended.
... The link between divorce and children's psychological, behavioral, and social problems is one of the most consistent findings concerning divorce (Emery & Tornello, 2014;Jaffe, 2014;Mahrer, O'Hara, Sandler, & Wolchik, 2018;Martínez-Pampliega, Corn1enzana, Corral, Iraurgi, & Sanz, 2021), including both externalizing (dissocial disorders, aggressiveness, etc.) internalizing manifestations (somatic disorders, anxiety, depression, social withdrawal) (van Dijk et al., 2020). These results are similar in different countries and cultures (Amato, 2010;Martinón et al., 2017;Veldernian et al., 2018), confirming that parental divorce is a fundamental stressor. ...
... From the cognitive-contextual model (Grych & Fincham, 1990) and the emotional security theory (Cummings & Davies, 2010;Davies & Cummings, 1994;Davies, Martín, & Cicchetti, 2012), destructive interparental conflict (i.e., situations of anger, hostility, non-cooperative parenting, fights and legal conflict) has been identified as the first explanatory factor (Mahrer et al., 2018;Smyth & Chisholm, 2017;Yárnoz-Yaben & Garmendia, 2016). However, both models have emphasized that the impact of conflict is not only----0r even primarily-direct, but rather indirect, through parenting. ...
Background
Evidence-based postdivorce intervention programs, aimed at promoting childreńs psychological adjustment, are scarce internationally. In Spain, the Egokitzen program has been established its effectiveness in the context of a university laboratory, but there is no evidence of its effectiveness when implemented from a community context.
Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of the Egokitzen program in the perception of externalizing and internalizing child symptomatology, when delivered by community-based agencies.
Method
372 parents with children under the age of 12 participated in a quasi-experimental pre-post intervention approach with a wait-list comparison group and two follow-up measures at 6 and 12 months. 270 were part of the experimental group (EG) and 112 of the control group (CG). The postdivorce intervention consisted of the Egokitzen program. The following variables were measured through the information provided by the parents: childhood symptomatology (somatization, aggressiveness, anxiety/depression; Child Behavior Checklist, CBCL), parental mental health symptomatology (anxiety, depression, and interpersonal sensitivity; Symptoms Checklist SCL-90), and parenting (inductive, indulgent, and rigid styles; Scale of Rules and Demands. Parents's versión, ENE-P).
Results
The intervention program had an indirect effect on childhood symptomatology and a direct effect on parental symptomatology and parenting. The mediating role of parental symptomatology on childhood symptomatology was confirmed through the direct effect of the program on parental symptomatology. Despite the effect on parental patterns, they did not play a mediating role in childhood symptomatology.
Conclusions
The Egokitzen program parece to be effective in the community context and, according to the parents, podría to reduce their children's symptomatology de forma indirecta a través de la reducción de la sintomatología parental. A nivel longitudinal, en el grupo de intervención, se observa que los resultados obtenidos tras la participación en el programa Egokitzen were maintained and even increased at 6 and 12 months.
... Not every study has found that conflict predicts worse adjustment in JPC (Mahrer et al. 2018). It may be that children's problems in high conflict JPC become more evident as time passes (Mahrer et al. 2018). ...
... Not every study has found that conflict predicts worse adjustment in JPC (Mahrer et al. 2018). It may be that children's problems in high conflict JPC become more evident as time passes (Mahrer et al. 2018). The definition of high conflict also varies between studies. ...
This overview discusses key findings, questions, and controversies about joint physical custody (JPC) emphasizing psychological issues for research and practice. Children living in JPC are slightly better adjusted, on average, but it is not clear whether this is a consequence of the arrangement or due to nonrandom selection into it. Moreover, no consistent evidence links specific variations in JPC to better or worse child adjustment, including equal or some other pattern of shared time. Parental conflict/cooperation is the factor most firmly, if still somewhat tenuously, established as a moderator of JPC effects. Other important moderators include logistics (e.g., geographical distance between parents), developmental stage (very young children and older adolescents may fare less well), and personality (a factor only beginning to be explored). The clearest implication for policy and practice is that children will fare better if their parents cooperate in crafting a parenting plan designed to meet their individual needs.
... However, previous studies have provided evidence that joint physical custody may not be a "one-size-fits-all model" (McIntosh & Chisholm 2008). Whereas there is general consent among researchers and practitioners that the majority of children in post-separation families will benefit from two deeply involved parents, there is substantial disagreement about the impact of frequent post-separation contact with both parents on children's health and well-being when levels of interparental conflict are high (Mahrer et al. 2018;McIntosh & Chisholm 2008;Steinbach 2019). Despite the evidence that ongoing conflict between the parents is a chronic stressor for children that can have detrimental effects on their development (Amato 1993), the findings of previous research on the relevance of interparental conflict for the relationship between post-separation care arrangements and children's health and well-being have been largely contradictory (Elam et al. 2016). ...
... Moreover, the findings of the existing studies on this topic have produced contradictory results. On the one hand, some of these studies failed to find any support for the hypothesis that high levels of interparental conflict reduce the positive effects of joint physical custody on children's health and well-being (for an overview, see Mahrer et al. 2018), or they found that factors like the parent-child relationships had a greater impact on children than their parents' conflicts (Nielsen 2017). On the other hand, some empirical studies have suggested that while children generally profit from joint physical custody, elevated interparental conflict outweighs the positive association between joint physical custody and children's wellbeing, and ultimately reduces child mental health in post-separation families. ...
Objective: This study investigated the relationship between joint physical custody and children’s mental health, and tested whether interparental conflict moderated the association.
Background: Joint physical custody is an emerging post-separation care arrangement that is expected to counter the negative effects of family dissolution on children’s overall well-being. There is, however, substantial disagreement about the impact that joint physical custody may have on children’s mental health when interparental conflict is high.
Method: The statistical analysis was based on data from the Family Models in Germany (FAMOD) study, which was conducted in 2019. The analytical sample consisted of 1,087 post-separation families practicing either sole physical custody or joint physical custody. Linear regression models were estimated to determine the relationship between physical custody arrangements, interparental conflict, and children’s mental health problems.
Results: Living in a joint physical custody arrangement was positively related to children's mental health, whereas high levels of interparental conflict were negatively related to children's mental health. However, when levels of interparental conflict were high children in joint physical custody arrangements displayed levels of mental health problems that were quite similar to those of children in sole physical custody arrangements.
Conclusion: The findings emphasize that joint physical custody is not a "one-size-fits-all model" that is suitable for all post-separation families, and that it is only beneficial for children's mental health when interparental conflict is low.
... Hjelpeapparatet forsøker ofte forgjeves å bistå foreldre i deres streben etter å finne løsninger som kan redusere samarbeidsvanskene (Mahrer, O'Hara, Sandler, & Wolchik, 2018;Thuen, 2004;Wiik, 2015 ("Barnelova," 1981). I de senere år er meklingstilbudet blitt differensiert etter konfliktnivå og barn inviteres til å delta for å sikre deres medbestemmelse og påvirkningskraft (Strandbu & Thørnblad, 2015). ...
... Det vil si at vansker i foreldres relasjon samvirker på flere områder i familielivet som er avgjørende for livskvaliteten til barn i konfliktfamilier (Harold & Sellers, 2018;Stokkebekk et al., 2019). Det at noen barn til tross for foreldrekonflikt opplever god livskvalitet, der andre viser vansker som følge av samme risikobelastning, er ofte omtalt som resiliens (Mahrer et al., 2018;Masten, 2018). Vansker i forbindelse med konflikt i skilte familier rammer ofte barna «indirekte» gjennom; (1) barnas meningskapning av konflikten og i hvilken grad konflikten ble opplevd som en trussel, (2) kvaliteten på relasjon mellom foreldre og barn, (3) kvaliteten på omsorg/ foreldrefungering (Harold & Sellers, 2018). ...
This article presents the therapeutic approach “Strengthening Children in 2 Homes” and the authors’ clinical experience with families who have lived with long-term parental conflict after divorce or separation. Central concepts and goals will be discussed, dilemmas explored, and clinical illustrations presented. A resilience focus and the establishment of parallel parenting was experienced as contributing to reduced influence of parental conflict on the psychosocial functioning of the family. Increased parental coping and strengthening of child-parent relations in each household contributed to parents in the program reporting increased wellbeing.
Keywords: family therapy, family conflict, divorce, child and family resilience
... From the perspective of the "conflict hypothesis," more shared PT leads to higher ongoing exposure to IPC for divorced or separating families (path A 1 , Figure 1), which in turn leads to higher levels of child mental health problems (path B 1, Figure 1). PT and IPC are often tested as competing predictors (for a review, see Nielsen, 2017) or as interacting variables in predicting child mental health problems (for a review, see Mahrer, O'Hara, Sandler, & Wolchik, 2018), but only one study has tested a theoretical model in which the association between PT and child mental health is mediated through IPC. Using a community sample of 59 children and their mothers, Lee (2002) found that children in dual-residence arrangements were more likely than children in maternal-residence arrangements to experience mother-reported interparental aggression, which in turn predicted higher child behavior problems. ...
... In particular, studies that include measurement of all variables across at least three time points (i.e., a fully lagged longitudinal mediation design) will be critical to establish directionality of relations among the variables of interest. For example, although we are not aware of any study testing the path from PQ to PT, an intervention targeted to improve fathers' PQ demonstrated program effects on days of contact for older children (Sandler et al., 2018). It is also important to note that the majority of parents who had a child in the eligible age range declined to have their child interviewed, and our sample consisted only of families deemed "high-conflict" by judges, limiting the generalizability of results. ...
Despite widespread acknowledgment that “frequent, continuing, and meaningful” (Pruett & DiFonzo, 2014) time with both parents is beneficial for children from divorced or separated families, and that interparental conflict (IPC) is associated with increased child mental health problems, the joint effects of parenting time (PT), parenting quality (PQ), and IPC on children’s mental health problems are less clear. The current study integrates two theoretical models in multiple mediator analyses to test indirect effects of mothers’ and fathers’ PQ and IPC to explain the association between PT and children’s mental health problems within the same model. Participants were children aged 9–18 years (N = 141) who had one or both parents participate in a randomized comparative effectiveness trial of a court-based prevention program for high-conflict divorcing or separating families. Data were collected at pretest and 9-month follow-up. Analyses revealed an indirect effect in which fathers’ PQ mediated the association between PT and child internalizing problems both concurrently and 9 months later. There were no significant indirect effects involving IPC. Analyses indicated a significant quadratic relation between PT and fathers’ PQ, suggesting that although more PT is associated with better father–child relationships, there is a point beyond which more time is not related to a better relationship. We discuss the study findings, research limitations, and implications for public policy.
... Alternatively, the right is fulfilled by shared custody, which is not always suitable and can be very demanding for the child. Mahrer et al. (2018) state that a child's success and a good adaptation to shared custody depend on many factors, such as the child's gender. On the other hand, Rogalewiczová (2016) says that shared custody may be the only hope if one parent wants the child completely cut off from the other parent. ...
... Beberapa penelitian terdahulu menunjukkan pengaruh pola Co-parenting Shared parenting memberikan dampak positif terhadap perkembangan anak, baik secara emosional, sosial, maupun akademis. Anak yang tumbuh dalam lingkungan Shared parenting cenderung lebih terbuka dalam mengekspresikan perasaan, lebih stabil secara emosional, memiliki kemampuan berinteraksi secara positif, memiliki kemampuan mengendalikan diri, dapat belajar cara menanggapi maupun mengatasi perasaan secara lebih efektif, memiliki hubungan yang lebih baik dengan kedua orang tua, dan memiliki kecenderungan untuk beradaptasi dengan lebih baik terhadap perubahan dalam struktur keluarga (Braver & Lamb, 2018;Mahrer et al., 2018). ...
Perkembangan sosial-emosional anak usia dini sangat dipengaruhi oleh kualitas pengasuhan dalam keluarga, terutama pasca perceraian orang tua. Co-parenting, yaitu kerja sama pengasuhan pasca perceraian, berperan penting dalam menjaga stabilitas emosi dan sosial anak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji dampak berbagai tipe Co-parenting terhadap perkembangan sosial-emosional anak usia dini. Metode yang digunakan adalah studi kasus dengan pendekatan kualitatif, yang melibatkan dua anak usia lima tahun sebagai subjek. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi, wawancara mendalam, dan studi dokumentasi. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif untuk mengidentifikasi dampak tiap tipe Co-parenting. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pola Co-parenting seperti conflicted parenting dan parallel parenting berdampak negatif terhadap perkembangan sosial dan emosional anak, sementara shared parenting memberikan dampak positif pada interaksi sosial dan regulasi emosi anak. Implikasi hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan pentingnya kolaborasi dan Komunikasi yang efektif antara orang tua pasca perceraian serta merekomendasikan pengembangan program parenting di PAUD sebagai intervensi strategis dalam meningkatkan kualitas pengasuhan.
... Moreover, all participants called for a serious review of the family court system and the introduction of a presumption of 50:50 shared care within legislation across the United Kingdom. Such calls are likely underpinned by a growing body of evidence demonstrating that children tend to experience more positive outcomes in shared physical parenting arrangements following divorce, particularly in terms of emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment (Baude et al. 2016;Braver and Votruba 2021;Galbraith and Kingsbury 2022;Mahrer et al. 2018;Nielsen 2011Nielsen , 2017Steinbach 2019). However, it is important to note that these findings are not universal, and all cited authors have provided cautionary notes about the influence of interparental conflict. ...
Background: This study explored the experiences and insights of providers who support fathers experiencing family breakdown, separation, and divorce (FBSD). Methods: Nine practitioners who work for organizations in the United Kingdom supporting fathers experiencing FBSD were interviewed using deliberative inquiry. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify key themes. Results: The findings highlighted four primary themes: ‘Support Needed by Fathers’, ‘Barriers for Organizations’, ‘Best Practice’, and ‘Recommendations’. Conclusions: The results mirror previous findings with fathers themselves and illuminate the immense challenges faced by organizations supporting them. Participants offered valuable insights into the necessary reform and change required to improve the experiences of separated fathers and their ability to support them.
... The effects of shared parenting on child adjustment in the presence of high conflict differ by gender. Moreover, high-quality parenting by at least one parent is associated with better child adjustment in high-conflict divorces [8]. ...
Objective: This study illuminated the mother -daughter conflict resolution in a special single-mother household, by interpreting the participants’ narratives. Background: Single mother-daughter dyads in many studies were seldom explored through specific, personal narratives. The results of these studies cannot explain the specific family conflicts that occur in certain households. This study focuses on a specific single mother-daughter relationship in order to identify effective strategies for resolving family conflicts. The mother was a single mother who was forced to divorce twenty years ago and suffered from major depressive disorder (MDD). The daughter, who had experienced single-motherhood for seven years, underwent a transformed life. There were more family conflicts in this single-mother-daughter household compared with present reported cases. Method: Exploring the phenomenon and participants’ experiences with the utilization of narrative inquiry methodology, I analyzed the single-mother-daughter conflict resolution. Results: Conflicts in single-mother-daughter households are often driven by differences in attitudes towards marriage, parenting styles, and social skills between the mother and daughter, which can be attributed to various factors such as cultural norms, socialization processes, and personal experiences. Conclusion: The positive family dynamics in single-mother households include a combination of behavioral discipline, deep understanding, and forgiveness. Implications: These results can provide community workers with the practical guidance to help single-mother households to have their psychological well-being and positive family dynamics.
... In addition, 60% of parents who decide to divorce have children in their care [2]. Along with these statistics, there is an extensive bibliography that includes the impact of divorce on the mental health of parents and children [3][4][5]. All of this has promoted the development of intervention programs aimed at facilitating parents' adaptation to divorce in order to decrease their symptoms and reduce the psychological impact of divorce on all members of the family [6,7]. ...
Objective
The present study focuses on the impact of emotion regulation on the establishment of the therapeutic alliance in a context of post-divorce group intervention.
Method
The study involved 177 divorced parents and 60 therapists and was developed through multilevel path analysis.
Results
The data showed an association between emotion regulation and therapeutic alliance across the difficulties of adaptation to divorce, although the results were different from the perspective of the participant and of the therapist and between the individual and the group level.
Conclusion
The study highlights the relevant role of emotion regulation in post-divorce adaptation and in the success of the establishment of the therapeutic alliance, while clarifying the formation of the alliance from the viewpoints of the individual and the therapist. The study also highlights the need to understand the alliance at both the individual and the group level, in order to design therapeutic interventions.
... There are, moreover, various intersections between academic SPC research, political lobbying, and policymaking. Since the 1990s, a growing, increasingly differentiated body of international expert literature has discussed the question if, and under which circumstances, the commuting of children between two parental households was beneficial for their emotional and psychological well-being (Bauserman 2002;Braver & Lamb 2018;Fransson et al. 2018;Kostka 2016;Mahrer et al. 2018). New insights and arguments from this expert literature entered policy discourse. ...
In this chapter, I discuss three interlinked dynamics of family change in contemporary history, which converged in the development of the 21st century’s co-parenting regime. Together, they also produced some of its core tensions. First, I look at the harmonisation and degenderisation of mothers’ and fathers’ rights over their marital and extramarital children (on the ‘degenderisation’ of family policies: Saxonberg & Szelewa 2021). Second, I explore the governance of separate-but-equal co-parenting between legal and extra-legal regulation, conflict mediating agencies, and competing expert cultures. Finally, I analyse the making of co-parenting regulations in the context of gender-political mobilisation. Since the 1960s, child custody emerged as a battleground in contestations over gender equality (Scheiwe 2006). Thus, I discuss the dynamics of the politicisation of child custody between women’s liberation movements, and fathers’ and men’s rights campaigns. In a comparative-transregional framework, I trace these dynamics – the harmonisation of parental rights, the governance of non-marital co-parenting, and the gender-political mobilisation of parental interest – from the 1950s onwards across different political-economic regimes and across the realms of codified civil law, common law, and religious-based personal law. I look at family law and governance in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and the Republic of India during the cold war period before turning to the globalised exchange and politicisation dynamics of the ‘internet age’ (Castells 2012). This global framework has been especially relevant for the spread of Shared Physical Custody (SPC) concepts and policies over the last two decades, and the emergence of various local, regional, and transnational civil society networks which mobilise for legal change.
... There are, moreover, various intersections between academic SPC research, political lobbying, and policymaking. Since the 1990s, a growing, increasingly differentiated body of international expert literature has discussed the question if, and under which circumstances, the commuting of children between two parental households was beneficial for their emotional and psychological well-being (Bauserman 2002;Braver & Lamb 2018;Fransson et al. 2018;Kostka 2016;Mahrer et al. 2018). New insights and arguments from this expert literature entered policy discourse. ...
Extract: "In this chapter, I discuss three interlinked dynamics of family change in contemporary history, which converged in the development of the 21st century’s co-parenting regime. Together, they also produced some of its core tensions. First, I look at the harmonisation and degenderisation of mothers’ and fathers’ rights over their marital and extramarital children (on the ‘degenderisation’ of family policies: Saxonberg & Szelewa 2021). Second, I explore the governance of separate-but-equal co-parenting between legal and extra-legal regulation, conflict mediating agencies, and competing expert cultures. Finally, I analyse the making of co-parenting regulations in the context of gender-political mobilisation. Since the 1960s, child custody emerged as a battleground in contestations over gender equality (Scheiwe 2006). Thus, I discuss the dynamics of the politicisation of child custody between women’s liberation movements, and fathers’ and men’s rights campaigns.
In a comparative-transregional framework, I trace these dynamics – the harmonisation of parental rights, the governance of non-marital co-parenting, and the gender-political mobilisation of parental interest – from the 1950s onwards across different political-economic regimes and across the realms of codified civil law, common law, and religious-based personal law. I look at family law and governance in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and the Republic of India during the cold war period before turning to the globalised exchange and politicisation dynamics of the ‘internet age’ (Castells 2012). This global framework has been especially relevant for the spread of Shared Physical Custody (SPC) concepts and policies over the last two decades, and the emergence of various local, regional, and transnational civil society networks which mobilise for legal change."
... In parallel with the studies in the literature, the findings show that children whose parents are divorced have various negative behaviors such as decreased academic achievement, increased distraction, increased discipline problems, and more reluctance to communicate. In parallel with the studies in the literature, the findings show that children whose parents are divorced show various negative behaviors such as decreased academic achievement, increased distraction, increased discipline problems, and more reluctance to communicate (Amato, 2000;Amato & Cheadle, 2005;Aral & Gürsoy, 2000;Aysan & Uzbaş, 2004;Bacanlı 2002;Baysal, 2003;Büyükşahin, 2009;Dohaney, 2018;Geniş et al., 2019;Hoelter, 2009;Huurre et al., 2006;Kabaoğlu, 2011;Kelly, 2007;Kelly & Emery, 2003;Korkmaz, 2022;Mahrer et al., 2018;Nock, 2000;Wolf, 2004). In children whose parents are divorced, various negative behaviors such as decreased academic achievement, increased attention problems, increased discipline problems, and a lack of communication negatively affect children's general development and learning processes. ...
Bu araştırma, ebeveynlerinin boşanmasının çocuklar üzerindeki etkilerini sınıf öğretmenlerinin görüşleri aracılığıyla belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden olgu bilim deseni kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu, 2023-2024 eğitim öğretim yılında Türkiye'nin bir şehrinde, çeşitli devlet okullarında görev yapan yirmi sekiz sınıf öğretmeni oluşturmaktadır. Katılımcılar amaçlı örnekleme yöntemi ile belirlenmiştir. Veriler, yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formları aracılığıyla toplanmış ve içerik analizi yolu ile betimlenmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre, ebeveynleri boşanmış öğrencilerin sınıf içindeki davranışlarında oluşan farklılıklar, ebeveynlerinin boşanmasının öğrencilerin akademik performansları üzerindeki etkisi, ebeveynlerinin boşanmasının öğrencilerin sosyal ilişkilerine etkisi, ebeveynleri boşanmış öğrencilere yönelik okulda uygulanan destek programları ve ebeveynleri boşanmış öğrenciler için faydalı olabilecek destek ve kaynaklar olmak üzere beş ana tema belirlenmiştir. Araştırma sonuçları, ebeveynlerinin boşanma sürecinden öğrencilerin sosyal, davranışsal, ekonomik ve psikolojik açılardan olumsuz olarak etkilediklerini göstermektedir. Ebeveynlerinin boşanmasının öğrenciler üzerindeki bu olumsuz etkilerini en aza indirmek amacı ile okullarda sağlanabilecek destek ve kaynakların geliştirilmesi konusunda sınıf öğretmenlerine rehberlik yapacak önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
... An important policy question to be explored in future studies is the extent to which parent and child well-being may be related to more granular patterns of care and family dynamics. While the current paper investigates how conflict strategies vary across different residence arrangements over time, a more fundamental question is if and how this development relates to children's well-being over time (see, e.g., Mahrer et al., 2018). It is critical that child self-reports be included in such work, and that children in different developmental stages be examined separately and considered in statistical models. ...
In Norway, as in most Western countries, a growing proportion of parents living apart choose shared residence for their children. The aim of this study was to investigate trajectories of five interparental conflict dimensions across four child residence arrangement groups (and three combination groups) to improve understanding of different conflict trajectories when parents live apart. We used data from the Dynamics of Family Conflict study. Families (N = 1136) were recruited from 37 family counseling centers across Norway. Parents answered questionnaires in three waves: Wave 1 (December 2017 through August 2019); Wave 2 (November 2019 through January 2021); and Wave 3 (April through May 2021). Mixed effects analyses indicated that (a) for all conflict dimensions, there was less conflict and more cooperation over time across all residence arrangements; (b) except for children's involvement in conflict, the conflict dimensions did not develop differently over time between residence arrangements; (c) families with arrangements in which one parent had minority time (1%–14% and 15%–34%) were more likely to report children being involved in their parents' arguments over time than the 35%–49% and 50/50 residence groups; (d) for families with high relational risk pattern, children's involvement in conflict did not decline in either a high (1–34%) or a low degree (35%–49%) of sharing; and (e) families with a violent risk pattern and low degree of sharing (1%–34%) had the steepest decrease in conflict frequency/intensity over time. Even with an average decrease in destructive conflict dimensions over time, the findings point to the need for providing support for parents with complex needs, particularly for parents with a high relational risk pattern.
... Third, our study did not examine the effects of high coparenting across parents with different relationships. It is possible that high coparenting among high-conflict families, due to unpleasant events such as parenting divorce, negatively affects adolescents (Mahrer et al., 2018). Fourth, due to the lack of data, the study could not examine other coparenting dimensions, such as undermining the other parent's parental role in the child and gatekeeping the other parent's relationship with the child (Dyer et al., 2018). ...
Introduction
Coparenting in unmarried families is a protective factor for positive adolescent adjustment. Although the relations between coparenting and adolescent outcomes have been investigated, it remains unclear whether the specific patterns of maternal and paternal coparenting are associated with adolescent behavioral outcomes.
Methods
The present study includs a longitudinal cohort of 1143 triads of unmarried parents and their adolescents to examine the associations between different patterns of coparenting and adolescent behavioral problems and delinquency. The data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study in the United States. Our study used six waves of publicly available data at children's birth, ages 1, 3, 5, 9, and 15.
Results
The latent profile analyses identified four coparenting profiles of maternal and paternal coparenting perceived by the other unmarried parent. Comparing average levels of coparenting between mothers and fathers, the profiles were entitled Low Mom‐Low Dad, High Mom‐Medium Dad, Low Mom‐Medium Dad, and High Mom‐High Dad. Parents characteristics, such as cohabitation and marital status, predicted the likelihood of being in cooperative coparenting profiles. Furthermore, all the identified coparenting profiles predicted adolescent externalizing behavioral problems; only the high mom cooperative coparenting profiles predicted adolescent internalizing behavioral problems; none of the coparenting profiles predicted adolescent delinquency.
Conclusions
Our study adds empirical evidence for coparenting research by revealing that coparenting patterns vary in unmarried families and that cooperative coparenting benefits child behavioral outcomes. The findings encourage introducing different coparenting training programs targeting unmarried parents' diverse needs, thus promoting positive adolescent adjustment.
... Taken together, the reviews of Steinbach (2019) and Berman and Daneback (2022) dedicate relatively little space to the conflict literature whereas Nielsen (2018) and Mahrer et al. (2018) dedicate substantially more. While the quantity of space is not synonymous with the quality of a review, it does allow for a more detailed discussion and mention of all studies identified for the review. ...
The Scandinavian countries make interesting samples for the study of shared parenting as they are characterized by some of the highest levels of father involvement and gender equality globally. Despite numerous studies, data from Denmark is noticeably absent in the international debate, partly due to a researcher preference for publishing in Danish. Here, I present an overview of the increase in father involvement in Denmark since the 1960s and on the increase in shared parenting across recent decades. I further examine Danish law, ministerial guidelines and guidelines from major Danish public and private institutions/organizations involved in deciding or advising on parenting practices post-divorce. I relate these to international research findings as well as to findings from Danish research. Overall, I find that Danish guidelines/practice have several reservations against shared parenting and substantial father involvement, which are not considered warranted by a substantial number of scientists and which are not supported by the majority of the available evidence. It thus appears that societal transition toward increased shared parenting has happened on a largely voluntary basis in spite of official law/practice. Updated law and/or ministerial guidelines are likely necessary if politicians desire that children experience the same high degree of father involvement post-divorce that they experience in society in general.
... Es importante considerar que la alta calidad de crianza por parte de al menos uno de los padres se asocia con un mejor ajuste del niño en los divorcios de alto conflicto (Mahrer, O'Hara, Sandler & Wolchik, 2018). ...
Este artículo aborda el divorcio destructivo y los malos tratos –especialmente hacia los hijos e hijas– que resultan de las dinámicas asociadas al alto y sostenido conflicto post-conyugal de los padres. Se identifican algunas de las conductas maltratantes más frecuentes en este particular tipo de separaciones/divorcios. Se plantea la posibilidad del trauma relacional como consecuencia en algunos de los niños y niñas sometidos a la experiencia de la destructividad como pauta relacional o experiencia permanente, así como algunas implicancias para los terapeutas que acompañan a los padres, a sus hijos e hijas o a las familias en esta situación. Los planteamientos compartidos en este artículo son el resultado de la experiencia acumulada por la autora en 25 años de trabajo clínico en el equipo de terapia familiar especializado en procesos de separación del Instituto Chileno de Terapia Familiar.
... On the other hand, shared placement may have negative impacts on child and family wellbeing in situations of high conflict or difficult coparenting relationships (Berman & Danebeck, 2020;Mahrer et al., 2018); in cases of family violence, child safety may be jeopardized (Gutowski & Goodman, 2020;Zeoli et al., 2013). Additionally, placement arrangements have important financial implications for children and parents, and shared placement may increase financial or time stress for parents with limited incomes and resources (Brown & Brito, 2007). ...
Objective
We aim to examine the prevalence of shared placement in nonmarital cases, and we then consider whether and how nonmarital shared placement cases differ from sole mother cases across a variety of case characteristics and child support outcomes.
Background
In recent decades, shared placement has become increasingly common after divorce, but less is known about the prevalence of shared placement in nonmarital cases. Shared placement may have important implications for families, and little is known about its prevalence in cases of unmarried parents or about characteristics of nonmarital families that have shared placement arrangements.
Method
Leveraging unique administrative data on more than 6,000 nonmarital court cases, we examine the prevalence of shared placement, case characteristics of shared placement compared with sole placement cases, and child support measures by placement type. We use multivariate regression and bivariate analyses.
Results
Although sole mother placement remains the norm, data indicate an increase in shared placement arrangements in recent cohorts of nonmarital cases. We find parents with shared placement arrangements tend to be slightly more advantaged across several measures. On average, shared placement cases have lower child support orders and payments and substantively higher compliance rates in the year after petition.
Conclusion
Shared placement is increasing in nonmarital cases in recent years. Nonmarital families who have shared placement arrangements differ in important ways from families with sole mother custody.
Implications
Findings suggest the importance of expanding the relevant shared placement literature and policy discussion to consider nonmarital cases in addition to divorce cases.
... Tyto studie navíc upozorňují, že existují faktory, jež mohou modifikovat střídavou péči intenzivněji (např. kvalita rodičovství) (Mahrer et al. 2018). ...
Long-term cultural trends of increasing fragility of partnerships, changing gender roles and the culture of childhood create a situation in which forms of shared parenting are becoming increasingly relevant. This review study aims to make available to the Czech audience a summary of foreign research on the impact of post-divorce/separation arrangements on children, with particular emphasis on those forms in which the child alternates between parents’ households. In peer-reviewed articles from Web of Science, Scopus, J-Stor, Springer, and similar databases, we first sought to answer the question of what negative and positive consequences household turnover produces. A review of the relevant literature shows that the assumption of an overall negative effect of alternating care is not consistent with the results of most analyses. Rather, the comparisons show the opposite, i.e. a predominance of positive consequences of shared custody, but modified by circumstances. Therefore, we next focus on papers that examine the most important intervening factors, which are parental conflict, the status of the family of origin, and the parents’ new partnerships. Detailed research in this area shows that only in families with significantly negative circumstances (extensive and chronic conflict, economic deprivation etc.) can the negatives of the circumstances outweigh the benefits of contact with both parents that shared custody generally brings. In the conclusion of the text, we summarize the findings from foreign sources, discuss their transferability to the Czech environment and, based on the literature, suggest areas that should be addressed in an effort to deepen this field of research.
... Other authors, however, argue that, in general, judges should consider parenting capacity as well as the intensity of the conflict between the parents when deciding on custody arrangements. 52 These authors suggest that custody arrangements that are in the best interests of the child are those that limit the child's exposure to the parental conflict while promoting the parent-child relationship. Other authors argue that custody reversal is usually detrimental or even traumatic for the child, and exposes a child to the risk of abuse, as well as disregarding the rights of children. ...
An increasing number of cases of parental separation involve high conflict and claims that a parent is alienating a child. This study analyzes reported family law cases involving claims of parental alienation in Quebec between 2017 and 2020 (n = 164). Bivariate analyzes were undertaken to establish correlations between family characteristics (child's age, safety issues concerning the children and parents, severity of the parental conflict, child's age, allegations of domestic violence and child abuse) and court decisions. Judges made a finding of parental alienation in a minority of cases where a claim of alienation was made, and in more than a quarter of cases did not resolve the claim. Issues of family violence were raised in about a quarter of the cases where alienation was an issue. The courts rarely dismissed a claim of violence and made a finding of alienation. The most common outcome of all cases was a continuation of the status quo, with a custody reversal in only a few cases (n = 7). Mothers were more often alleged to be engaging in alienating behaviour, but there is a lower rate of judicial substantiation of alienation against mothers, and the study did not find evidence of gender bias. Judicial findings of alienation were associated with substantiation by a child custody evaluator or the child protection service. Only a small portion of cases resulted in orders psychosocial interventions. The authors argue that courts, agencies professionals need to better address issues of parental alienation and family violence.
... The effects of parenting quality on adjustment are similar in families embroiled in frequent court contests: child adjustment is better when parents show higher quality parenting and the child is protected from violent, coercive, or abusive parenting (Mahrer et al., 2018). In a longitudinal study of children whose mothers were leaving a domestic violence shelter, the more contact the mother had with her abusive violent partner, the more likely the child had behavior problems (Jouriles et al., 2018). ...
Family courts face a rare but vexing problem when children angrily refuse contact with a parent after parents separate. In this paper I discuss the associations among child emotional reactivity, child rejection of parent demands, adverse parenting behavior, and coercive control in intimate partner relationships. Decades of clinical and developmental research have explored how adverse parenting behavior and domestic violence impact child development. Children are more likely to have problems with defiance when parents use negative behavior to exert control over vulnerable children. Similarly, childhood exposure to a caregiver who has exerted or does exert coercive control over an intimate partner positively predicts child behavior problems and vulnerability to excessive fear and anger. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of assessing coercion and helping children who reject contact with a parent.
... In this sense, families, both parents and children, who go through conflictive divorce proceedings are a population at risk for the development of mental health problems. Studies show that divorces create psychological problems, through externalizing and internalizing manifestations, both in parents and children [4][5][6][7]. ...
Families going through conflictive divorce processes are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. The Egokitzen program is a group intervention for parents who have undergone a divorce process, funded by the public administration. Budgetary constraints cause funding institutions to be interested in the effectiveness and economic efficiency of these programs. Therefore, the objective of this research is to carry out an efficiency analysis of the Egokitzen program, implemented by family visitation centers in Spain, through a cost-benefit analysis, to determine whether the positive impact on symptomatology (measured using CBCL and SCL-90 instruments) is translated into a positive economic impact for society. A sample of 382 parents participated. Costs will be first identified and valued; secondly, benefits achieved with the program will be identified through a prevalence analysis and, finally, the cost-benefit comparative analysis will be carried out. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis will be performed. The results obtained in the analysis indicate that for every euro spent on this program, the public administration and society save 3.10 euros in future interventions through medical costs and productivity losses. The study has practical implications for public administration, organizations, and the family visitation centers that implement the program.
... Positive associations between SPC and child well-being were only found when parents displayed low levels of parental conflict (Augustijn 2021b) or if there were no loyalty conflicts (Augustijn 2021c). A review of 11 studies also indicated that SPC was associated with poor child development in highly conflictual families (Mahrer et al. 2018). This indicates that parental conflicts after a separation (Amato 1993) are even more critical for children in SPC arrangements because children in this arrangement may be exposed to interparental conflicts more often and may feel torn between their parents. ...
Most children continue to live with their mother after a divorce or separation, yet paternal involvement in post-separation families has increased substantially in many Western nations. This shift has contributed to a growing share and more diverse set of post-separation parents opting for shared physical custody (SPC), which typically means that children alternate between the parental residences for substantive amounts of time. Profiling the case of Germany, where no legal regulations facilitating SPC are implemented to date, we examine the prevalence of SPC families, sociodemographic correlates of SPC, and its associations with parental coparenting and child adjustment. Using representative survey data sampled in 2019 (N = 800 minors of 509 separated parents), results revealed that only 6–8% of children practiced SPC. SPC parents were more likely to hold tertiary levels of schooling and to report a better coparenting relationship with the other parent. There was no link between SPC and child adjustment, yet conflictual coparenting was linked to higher levels of hyperactivity among SPC children. We conclude that the social selection into SPC and linkages between conflictual coparenting and hyperactivity among SPC children likely stem from the higher costs and the constant level of communication between the ex-partners that SPC requires.
... This work focused on the role of the parental relationship or, be it less so, on the role of parental resources. Studies examined whether frequent contact with both parents (i.e., shared residence or nonresident father-child contact) is less beneficial for children in case parents have high conflict (Mahrer et al. 2018) or little communication Vanassche et al. 2013). A handful of studies tap in on the parental resource argument by examining whether frequent parent-child contact is particularly beneficial in case of a good (pre-divorce) parentchild relationship (Poortman 2018;Vanassche et al. 2013;Videon 2002). ...
Shared physical custody, or more generally, frequent contact with both parents is often assumed to benefit children, but having to move back and forth between parents’ homes may also be harmful, particularly when parents live far apart. This study examined the role of spatial mobility in the association between frequent parent-child contact and multiple child outcomes. Using the New Families in the Netherlands survey, analyses firstly showed that frequent parent-child contact, on average, was found to be not or modestly associated with better child outcomes. Second, spatial mobility mattered, but in varying ways. Long travel times were negatively associated with children’s contact with friends and their psychological well-being, but positively related to educational performance. Furthermore, frequent commutes were negatively associated with how often children saw their friends, but positively associated with child psychological well-being. Third, and most importantly, the impact of parent-child contact and frequent commutes on child outcomes were found to be dependent on traveling time. For child psychological well-being and contact with friends, frequent parent-child contact and/or frequent commutes were found to have positive effects when travel distances were short, but these positive effects disappeared when traveling times increased.
... Beginning in the 1990s, the number of disputes about child-related issues that ended up in court rose considerably in Norway (Koch 2008;Vimblemo, Tobra, Knutsen, Olsen, Gleinsvik & Bush 2016), as it did in many other Western countries (Bergman & Rejmer, 2017;Parkinson, 2011). For separating and divorcing families, a standard estimate is that between ten and 15 percent will end up in a pattern of entrenched conflict between parents (Haddad, Philips & Bone 2016;Helland & Borren, 2015;Hetherington, 2002;Mahrer et al. 2018;Wiik, Kitterød, Lyngstad & Lidén 2015). The concept of 'high-conflict divorce' refers to situations where parents remain in patterns of interaction characterized by long-lasting and bitter disputes over child-related concerns for several years after separation (Anderson et al. 2010;Birnbaum & Bala, 2010). ...
The paper reports on findings from an empirical study based on qualitative interviews with Norwegian parents identified as part of a high-conflict divorce situation and interviews with caseworkers from a child welfare service. The site of study is an institutional circuit of concern, assessment, and referral involving the court, child welfare services, and a public family therapy service. The paper draws on the social ontology and analytic concepts of institutional ethnography and adopts parents' standpoint to explore how their knowledge and experience are shaped through encounters with professionals in the process of being identified and assessed as a high-conflict divorce case. The focus on people's doings and their expert knowledge about their doings sets institutional ethnographic research apart from more conventional forms of qualitative inquiry that focus on informants' inner experience. The paper highlights how a generalized professional discourse seems to permeate the work that parents and caseworkers jointly engage in, sometimes subsuming the knowledge and experience of those involved. When the issues of life as subjectively known and experienced are different from those of the institutional discourse, there is a danger that what is important to those whose lives they concern escapes the dialogue between parents and professionals.
... For example, a recent review suggests a closer link between later outcomes for children and the quality of the parent-child relationship, than between outcomes and the degree of parental conflict or the quality of co-parenting (Nielsen, 2017). Mahrer et al. (2018) suggest that the negative effect of inter-parental conflict depends on whether conflict is persistent over time. They found that having a high-quality relationship with parents is linked to better child adjustment, even in high-conflict families. ...
Dual residence is a post-divorce living arrangement where children spend up to 50% of their time in each parent's household after separation or divorce. Reflecting societal changes and shifting norms, these arrangements have increased in many Western societies during recent years. The consequences for children have attracted much interest, resulting in a growing body of research. This literature review has a broad scope, reviewing three decades' international research about children's dual-residence arrangements (111 peer-reviewed articles in total) with the aim of analysing the development of the research field. Findings demonstrate that research on the topic has progressed since the first-generation studies and reached several important conclusions. However, it is geographically restricted and heterogeneous in terms of disciplinary perspectives, the choice of aspects to investigate, methodology, data and research design. Furthermore, diverse terms, definitions and cultural, demographic and jurisdictional contexts complicate crosscountry comparisons. While some distinct components of dual-residence arrangements seem to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for children, this study points out the difficulties in using the cumulative body of research in the field when drawing conclusions and making recommendations for practice. Despite the rapidly growing body of research, essential gaps in our understanding of dual residence still remain.
... The literature on children's cognitive development offers a plethora of definitions associated with parenting and its related constructs (e.g., "parenting skills", Darling and Steinberg 1993; "parenting quality", Mahrer et al. 2018; "parenting competence", Vance and Brandon 2017; "parenting practices", Tramonte et al. 2015). In 1993, Darling and Steinberg defined "parenting skills" as specific content and goal-directed behaviors that influence children's development, establishing a theoretical distinction from "parenting styles", which refers to a more general emotional attitude toward children. ...
The relationship between parenting styles and executive functioning in children has been well established. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of specific parental skills on children’s executive functions. The main goal of our study was to investigate the existence of association and/or the effect of specific dimensions of parental skills on children’s global and domain-specific executive functions. A non-experimental ex post facto design was implemented, which included a sample of ninety-six parent/child dyads. Parents completed a positive parenting scale, whereas primary schoolchildren were assessed in six executive domains. Pearson’s correlation, regression models, and one-way ANOVA analyses were performed. Results showed significant associations between most parental skills dimensions and children’s EFs specific domains. Regression analyses showed good predictive capacity of protective skills when predicting children’s planning and problem-solving, global executive and semantic fluency. ANOVA analyses showed significant effects of protective and formative skills on children’s executive performance. However, we did not observe any significant effects of parental skills on children’s phonological fluency, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control. Our results identify which dimensions of parental skills could contribute to the development of executive functions in children. We highlight the influence of protective skills on children’s executive performance. In light of our findings, we suggest potential areas of future research, such as the effectiveness of positive parenting training and its benefits on children’s executive development. Our findings also provide evidence to develop programs for parents that promote the acquisition and/or strengthening of positive parenting, which favor the cognitive development of children.
... The effects of parenting quality on adjustment are similar in families embroiled in frequent court contests: child adjustment is better when parents show higher quality parenting and the child is protected from violent, coercive, or abusive parenting (Mahrer et al., 2018). In a longitudinal study of children whose mothers were leaving a domestic violence shelter, the more contact the mother had with her abusive violent partner, the more likely the child had behavior problems (Jouriles et al., 2018). ...
Family structures in the United States have changed dramatically. Almost half of children growing up will spend some portion of their childhood in one of the following arrangements: single parent home, two homes, or living with one parent and a stepparent/intimate partner of their parent. Although child and adolescent mental health-care providers are treating children in families with complicated histories, and evidence supported interventions (ESI) typically include caregivers in child treatment, neither research nor manuals speak to variability in family structure, especially if parents are engaged in frequent court contact on divorce/child-related issues and/or there have been allegations of violence, abuse, or impaired parenting behavior. Children whose parents are frequently in court are vulnerable and also at risk of not having access to ESIs – even when an ESI is strongly indicated. Instead, children may be court ordered to alternative treatments or changes in parenting time after allegations of violence without protective or therapeutic interventions. Mental health clinicians can be informed of these risks, knowledgeable about family violence and prepared to expertly and ethically adapt ESI for this vulnerable population. This paper addresses adaptations in ESI for this population by providing a brief review of the underlying developmental and legal issues at play, recommended adaptations, and using three fictional and representative case studies.
... Mahrer, O'Hara, Sandler, and Wolchik recently reviewed the small group of studies of parenting time and parent conflict. 28 They concluded that the findings are mixed 29 , and that more research is needed to ascertain whether more parenting time with fathers in high conflict families exposes children to more harm from parent conflict. The mixed findings might be due to older studies having too few children in high-conflict families with equal parenting time. ...
This chapter reviews several sources of evidence bearing on the question of whether
equal parenting time with both parents is in the best interests of children of divorce.
First, the scientific evidence consists of correlational findings that meet four conditions
necessary for a causal role of parenting time: A legal context that constrains the possibility
of self-selection; a “dose-response” association between parenting time and fatherchild
relationships; positive outcomes when parents disagree and courts impose more
parenting time; and negative outcomes when relocations separate fathers and children.
Second, the cultural evidence is that norms about parenting roles have changed in the
last generation, and this is reflected in public endorsement of equal parenting time.
Third, test-case evidence comes from the 2013 equal parenting law in Arizona, which has
been evaluated positively by the state’s family law professionals. Finally, examples from
recent Canadian case law show courts responding to the new cultural norms by crafting
individualized equal parenting time orders over one parent’s objections even in cases of
high parent conflict, accompanied by well-reasoned judicial opinions about how that is in
children’s best interests. The chapter concludes that the overall pattern of evidence indicates
that legal presumptions of equal parenting time would help protect children’s emotional
security with each of their divorced parents, and consequently would have a positive
effect on public health in the form of reduced long-term stress-related mental and
physical health problems among children of divorce.
Keywords: equal parenting time, parent conflict, divorced fathers, parent-child relationships, legal presumptions
... Given the changing landscape with regard to the demographic characteristics of divorcing families and allocations of parenting time following divorce (Meyer, Cancian, & Cook, 2017) future studies should include youth from more ethnically diverse samples and families with a broad range of parenting time arrangements. Including children in families with a range of parenting time arrangements may be particularly important given the mixed nature of findings from prior research on whether shared parenting in the presence of high interparental conflict is protective or increases risk for children (Mahrer, O'Hara, Sandler, & Wolchik, 2018;Mahrer et al., 2016). Fourth, children and mothers who were participating in mental health treatment at the time of the study were excluded and therefore the findings may not be generalizable to all recently separated families, especially those struggling with significant mental health problems. ...
Exposure to high levels of postdivorce interparental conflict is a well-documented risk factor for the development of psychopathology, and there is strong evidence of a subpopulation of families for which conflict persists for many years after divorce. However, existing studies have not elucidated differential trajectories of conflict within families over time, nor have they assessed the risk posed by conflict trajectories for development of psychopathology or evaluated potential protective effects of children's coping to mitigate such risk. We used growth mixture modeling to identify longitudinal trajectories of child-reported conflict over a period of six to eight years following divorce in a sample of 240 children. We related the trajectories to children's mental health problems, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors and assessed how children's coping prospectively predicted psychopathology in the different conflict trajectories. We identified three distinct trajectories of conflict; youth in two high-conflict trajectories showed deleterious effects on measures of psychopathology at baseline and the six-year follow-up. We found both main effects of coping and coping by conflict trajectory interaction effects in predicting problem outcomes at the six-year follow-up. The study supports the notion that improving youth's general capacity to cope adaptively is a potentially modifiable protective factor for all children facing parental divorce and that children in families with high levels of postdivorce conflict are a particularly appropriate group to target for coping-focused preventive interventions.
Мақалада авторлар 2023 жылы өткізілген сапалық зерттеудің деректеріне сүйене отырып, жалғызбасты отбасында тәрбиеленген балалардың қоғамда психологиялық-әлеуметтік бейімделу ерекшеліктерін анықтауға тырысты. Мақаланың негізгі мақсаты — жалғызбасты отбасылардағы балалардың мінез-құлық үлгілерімен психологиялық-әлеуметтік бейімделу ерекшеліктерін талдау, олардың қалыптасуына әсер ететін факторларды анықтау және осы отбасылардың қажеттіліктерін қанағаттандыруға бағытталған ұсыныстар әзірлеу. Мақалада қолданылған негізгі әдіс-тереңдетілген сұхбат. Алматы қаласында тұратын 50 жалғызбасты ата-анамен (45 ана, 5 әке) жүргізілген сұхбаттар QDA Miner бағдарламасы арқылы талданды. Сұхбат материалдары жалғызбасты отбасылардағы балалардың психологиялық-әлеуметтік бейімделуінің ерекшеліктерін, қиындықтарын және оларды шешу жолдарын анықтауға мүмкіндік берді. Зерттеу нәтижелері жалғызбасты отбасылардағы балалардың психологиялық-әлеуметтік бейімделуі бірқатар маңызды факторларға тәуелді екенін көрсетті: отбасылық қаржылық жағдай, екінші ата-ананың қатысу деңгейі, отбасылық қолдаудың сипаты және ата-ана тәрбиесінің стилі. Беделді тәрбие стилін ұстанатын отбасылардағы балалардың эмоционалдық тұрақтылығымен әлеуметтік бейімделуі жоғары деңгейде екені анықталды.Мақаланың практикалық маңыздылығы — алынған нәтижелер жалғызбасты отбасылардағы балалардың психологиялық әл-ауқаты мен әлеуметтік бейімделуін жақсартуға бағытталған мемлекеттік бағдарламалармен әлеуметтік қызметтерді жетілдіруге ғылыми негіз бола алады. Сонымен қатар, мақалада ұсынылған тұжырымдар мен ұсыныстар білім беру мекемелерімен әлеуметтік қызметкерлердің жалғызбасты отбасылармен жұмыс істеу тәжірибесін жетілдіруге ықпал етеді.
Based on data from a questionnaire survey and in-depth qualitative interviews with parents who have separated, the text describes the dynamics of the negotiations relating to physical custody of a child. When negotiating a custody arrangement, parents develop their strategies in relation to the prevailing model in Czech society of granting mothers sole custody. Most women prefer to maintain this arrangement, while fathers more often seek to move towards an equal division of care. When fathers are granted sole custody it is not usually on the basis of a consensual agreement being reached between parents. Custody arrangements enforced without parental consent are potentially conflictual and unstable.
Opsomming Professionele persone vind dat dit algemeen vir egpare is om destruktiewe gedrag en negatiewe gevoelens gedurende egskeiding te ervaar. Wanneer daar egter kinders betrokke is, is dit noodsaaklik om gevalle van moontlike hoëkonflikegskeidings te identifiseer. Hierdie ondersoek het beoog om sosiale merkers met betrekking tot hoëkonflikegskeidings te identifiseer sodat maatskaplike werkers wat spesialiseer in forensiese maatskaplike werk die hof van gepaste en verantwoordbare raad kan bedien. Die navorsers het van ’n kwalitatiewe benadering en beskrywende navorsing gebruik gemaak. Semigestruktureerde onderhoude, gebaseer op die literatuur se hipoteses van moontlike tekens van hoëkonflikegskeidings, is met maatskaplike werkers gevoer wat werk met kliënte betrokke in egskeidings met hoë vlakke van konflik. Die ingesamelde inligting is ontleed aan die hand van bestaande literatuur, waarna die bevindings dan forensiese maatskaplike werkers beter in staat mag stel om die moontlikheid van langdurige konflik te voorspel en daaropvolgend advies aan die hof te voorsien ten opsigte van die versorging van die kinders. Die navorsers het intrapersoonlike, interpersoonlike en eksterne faktore as sosiale merkers in gevalle van hoëkonflikegskeidings waar kinders betrokke is, geïdentifiseer. Vir die doel van hierdie ondersoek is daar van ’n doelgerigte, nie-waarskynlikheid-steekproefneming gebruik gemaak met ’n sneeubal-steekproefneming. Daar het 11 deelnemers aan semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude deelgeneem en data is tematies ontleed. Trefwoorde: egskeiding; forensiese maatskaplike werk; hoëkonflikegskeidings; kinders; sosiale merkers
A tanulmány célja bemutatni azokat a kihívásokat, melyekkel az elvált/váló-félben lévő családokkal dolgozó szakemberek találkoznak, továbbá keresni azokat a válaszokat, lehetőségeket, amelyek segíthetik az érintett családokat és szakembereket a válás folyamatában. Ezeket a kérdéseket 2021 őszén lefolytatott interprofesszionális műhelymunkák (három alkalom, huszonnégy fő) és a vonatkozó szakirodalom alapján vizsgáltuk. Kihívásként jelent meg a szakemberek beszélgetésében a gyermekek szempontjainak hangsúlyosabb figyelembevétele, illetve a szülők és gyerekek többszintű támogatása a válási folyamat során. Az elmúlt évtizedekben több civil és állami kezdeményezéssel találkozhatunk, amely a konfliktusos válások támogatására irányul, azonban ezek szórványosan és egységes koncepció nélkül működnek. A téma fontossá-ga és a területen tapasztalható hiányosságok miatt szükséges lenne a kérdés szakmaközi átgondolása és rendszerszintű megoldások kidolgozása.
KULCSSZAVAK: válás, mediáció, gyermekközpontú, műhelymunka
The aim of the study is to present the challenges faced by professionals working with divorced/separated families and to look for answers and options that can help families and professionals in the divorce process. These issues were explored through interprofessional workshops (3 sessions, 24 participants) in the autumn of 2021 and relevant literature conducted. A challenge that emerged in the professionals’ discussions was to take children’s perspectives more into account and to support parents and children at multiple levels during the divorce process. In recent decades, there have been several civil and public initiatives to support high-conflict divorce, but these are sporadic and lack a coherent approach. The importance of the issue and the gaps in the field call for an interdisciplinary reflection and the development of systemic solutions.
This study examined the association between postdivorce coparenting patterns and adolescent internalizing and externalizing behavior. Children after parental divorce increasingly grow up in shared residence arrangements, making postdivorce coparenting much more pertinent. The Coparenting Behavior Questionnaire was used to investigate the perceptions of 251 Dutch adolescents regarding postdivorce coparenting behaviors. Latent class analysis was used to identify coparenting patterns, and associations with adolescent outcomes were examined. Four distinct postdivorce coparenting patterns were identified: cooperative, negatively engaged, negatively disengaged, and average. Adolescents of parents with a cooperative pattern reported the least amount of internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas adolescents with negatively engaged parents reported the most internalizing problems. In line with family systems theory, interactions in the coparental subsystem are associated with adolescent adjustment and can therefore be viewed as both a risk and protective factor.
Ukazał się w Psychologia Wychowawcza, nr 20 https://e-psychologiawychowawcza.pl/resources/html/article/details?id=223196
W artykule rozważane jest zagadnienie celu i istoty diagnozy psychologicznej w sytuacji łącznego wychowania dziecka w sytuacji rozstania rodziców z perspektywy psychologa sądowego. Autorzy podkreślają konieczność głębszej psychologicznej analizy zagadnienia tak, aby przede wszystkim odpowiedzieć na pytanie: w jaki sposób rozstający się rodzice mogą stworzyć możliwie najkorzystniejsze warunki opieki dla swego dziecka i jak zminimalizować stres towarzyszący nieuchronnie wszystkim członkom rodziny w takiej sytuacji. Poddano dyskusji model rodzicielstwa polegający na zbliżonym angażowaniu się w wychowanie wraz z zamieszkiwaniem dziecka u obojga rodziców, do którego w polskim dyskursie publicznym odnosi się termin „opieka naprzemienna”.
Autorzy podsumowują wymieniane w literaturze zalety i wady opieki z tak zwanym „wiodącym rodzicem” i wspólnego wychowania przez obojga rodziców, pokazując znaczenie takiego sposobu organizacji procesu wychowawczego, który przede wszystkim minimalizuje nieunikniony stres dziecka związany z sytuacją rozstania i chroni istniejące więzi. Przedstawiono propozycję, aby w procesie diagnozy psychologicznej dla potrzeb sądowych zamiast koncentrować się na tym, który rodzic ma wyższe kompetencje wychowawcze, rozważać, która konkretna sytuacja wychowawcza może być najkorzystniejsza dla dziecka, przy czym jako priorytet uznaje się pielęgnowanie przywiązania. Powyższe założenie implikuje potrzebę zmiany sposobu myślenia rodziców, prawników i psychologów. Dla biegłych psychologów proponowana perspektywa staje się wyzwaniem być może wymagającym nawet przeorganizowania procesu diagnostycznego
Ongoing parental conflict after divorce is particularly difficult on school aged children. Consistent research has demonstrated that high conflict divorce can induce adjustment problems and increase risk of child psychopathology. For these children, school represents a safe space to thrive and develop the cognitive, social and emotional skills that can serve as a buffer and reduce the risk of adjustment difficulties and mental health problems. Trained in child development, teachers have the knowledge base and play a critical role in identifying behavioral warning signs of children ‘at risk’. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of teachers working with children exposed to high parental conflict before, during and after divorce/separation. Using semi-structured interviews, five primary school teachers shared their every-day experiences of teaching and caring for primary school aged students struggling to cope with the emotional distress related to high levels of parent stress and parent conflict associated with family breakdown and the process of high conflict divorce. The data was analyzed using an Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis framework by Jonathan Smith. The findings revealed that ‘caring’ for and about these children was a key feature of being sensitively responsive to these children. However, as highlighted by these teachers, this work is emotionally exhausting and professionally challenging, placing teachers at risk of burnout. The findings contribute to the knowledgebase of how-to best support teachers who teach vulnerable school populations. Implications for teacher training and support at different levels within the school system are discussed.
This qualitative study aims to explore how noncohabiting parenting couples in prolonged conflict construct the other parent and themselves. Ten parents from five parent couples were interviewed. A dyadic analytical design was used, where parent's stories of conflict were analyzed in parallel with their co‐parent. Drawing on positioning theory, self‐identity as parents emerged as implicit counter positions in storylines, which construct the co‐parent as “the troublesome other.” Two typologies of conflicted storylines were prominent in the findings: storylines of violations of trust, positioning the co‐parents in relation to traumatic events in the past and, storylines of who is bad, positioning the co‐parent as either a disloyal co‐parent or a dysfunctional parent. The findings indicate that prolonged conflicts made it impossible to find available positions for cooperation. We argue that family therapists should aid each household toward promoting child and family resilience rather than continued efforts to solve chronic conflicts.
Parental divorce brings a variety of potential risks for children. Experiences of stress and loss, reduced parental effectiveness, and exposure to parental conflict, among other stressors, may contribute to negative outcomes for children following divorce. Literature on intervening with children directly and helping children by improving parenting and co‐parenting interactions are reviewed to derive treatment recommendations. Key points include providing developmentally appropriate ways for children to process their emotions, connecting children to support systems, helping parents maintain their effectiveness as parents, and reducing stress on children from conflict. A case example is shared to demonstrate interventions and decision making in therapy.
Parental divorce brings a variety of potential risks for children. Experiences of stress and loss, reduced parental effectiveness, and exposure to parental conflict, among other stressors, may contribute to negative outcomes for children following divorce. Literature on intervening with children directly and helping children by improving parenting and co‐parenting interactions are reviewed to derive treatment recommendations. Key points include providing developmentally appropriate ways for children to process their emotions, connecting children to support systems, helping parents maintain their effectiveness as parents, and reducing stress on children from conflict. A case example is shared to demonstrate interventions and decision making in therapy.
Experiencing parental divorce or separation in childhood is associated with poorer academic achievement, and impairments in physical and mental health. Numerous studies suggest that children and youth who grow up with divorced parents get lower grades and test scores in school and have more symptoms of externalizing and internalizing problems compared to those raised in two-parent nondivorced families. Moreover, these problems are not confined to childhood but tend to persist into adulthood as well.
The overall aim of the current thesis was to expand the knowledge of how parental divorce relates to adolescents’ academic achievement, mental health and health complaints, by examining heterogeneity in the outcomes of divorce by parental educational qualifications, family structure, and sibship-type (i.e., biological, half – and stepsiblings). To reach these aims, we utilized data from the large population- based youth@hordaland study of adolescents aged 16–19, that was merged with data from national registries.
In Paper I, the aim was to investigate whether the association between parental divorce and adolescents’ grade point average (GPA) was related to parental educational qualifications. Overall, it was found that adolescents with divorced parents had a GPA that was 0.3 standard deviation units lower than adolescents with nondivorced parents. However, while a divorce was hardly related to GPA among adolescents with uneducated parents, divorce was linked to a lower GPA among adolescents with educated mothers, independent of paternal educational qualifications and household income measures.
In Paper II, the aim was to investigate the distribution of mental health problems across six different family structures following the steep increase in parents choosing joint physical custody in Norway. It was found that adolescents living in joint physical custody (JPC) displayed significantly lower levels of both externalizing and internalizing problems than their peers living in single parent and stepparent families. Moreover, levels of mental health problems among adolescents in JPC were quite similar to and not statistically significantly different from those living in a two-parent nuclear family.
In Paper III, the aims were to investigate how family structures were related to health complaints among adolescents, while capturing the complexity of the modern family by including information about sibship-type (i.e., biological, half- and stepsiblings) in the household. Corroborating the findings from Paper II, it was found that adolescents in JPC reported lower levels of health complaints than their peers in other post- divorce family structures. Moreover, independent of family structure, sharing a household with biological siblings was associated with lower levels of health complaints, while living with stepsiblings was associated with higher levels, but only among girls.
Overall, the findings from this thesis suggest that adolescents with divorced parents get lower grades and report higher levels of mental health problems and health complaints than their peers in nuclear two-parent families. Furthermore, parental educational qualifications, adolescents’ post-divorce family structure, and the presence of biological and stepsiblings in the household, may influence the associations between parental divorce and adolescents’ post-divorce adjustment.
W artykule rozważane jest zagadnienie opieki nad dzieckiem w sytuacji rozstania jego rodziców w kontekście zbliżonej opieki matki i ojca. Autorzy podkreślają konieczność głębszej psychologicznej analizy zagadnienia, tak aby przede wszystkim odpowiedzieć na pytanie: w jaki sposób rozstający się rodzice mogą stworzyć możliwie najkorzystniejsze warunki opieki dla swego dziecka, jak zminimalizować stres towarzyszący nieuchronnie wszystkim członkom rodziny w takiej sytuacji. Poruszone problemy dotyczą rodzin, w których nie stwierdzono poważnych dysfunkcji. Dyskutowany jest proponowany model opieki zwany w polskim dyskursie publicznym naprzemienną, a przez Autorów określanym jako opieka współdzielona. Rozważania Autorów wykorzystują dotychczasowe obecne w literaturze oceny zalet i wady opieki z tak zwanym wiodącym rodzicem i opieki naprzemiennej, ale wychodzą poza te problemy i podnoszoną znaczenie wyboru takiego modelu opieki, który przede wszystkim minimalizuje nieunikniony stres dziecka związany z sytuacją rozstania jego rodziców. Przedstawiono propozycję, aby w procesie diagnozy psychologicznej dla potrzeb sądowych nie koncentrować się na tym, który rodzic ma wyższe kompetencje wychowawcze, ale konkretna sytuacja wychowawcza może być najkorzystniejsza dla dziecka, przy czym jako priorytet uznaje się pielęgnowanie więzi przywiązania z rodzicami. Powyższe zagadnienie dotyczy przede wszystkim potrzeby zmiany sposobu myślenia rodziców, prawników i psychologów. Dla biegłych psychologów zainteresowanie tą formą opieki staje się nowym wyzwaniem, wymagającym przeorganizowania struktury procesu diagnostycznego. Słowa kluczowe: rozstanie, opieka współdzielona(naprzemienna), istota modelu opieki współdzielonej, proces diagnostyczny, minimalizowanie stresu i strat dla dziecka, pomoc psychologiczna Znaczenie problemu Zjawisko rozwodu współcześnie nie należy do rzadkości, Główny Urząd Statystyczny podaje, że w Polsce w 2015 r. rozpadło się około 30% małżeństw. Dane te pokazują także wzrost liczby rozwodów z 203 na 1000 zawieranych małżeństw w 2000 r. do 356 na 1000 w
This article addresses 4 questions: First, how much weight should be given to parental conflict and the quality of the coparenting relationship in determining parenting time—specifically with respect to children’s living at least 35% time with each parent in joint physical custody? Second, to what extent are low conflict and cooperative coparenting connected to better outcomes for children? Third, to what degree are children’s outcomes linked to whether their parents take their custody disputes to court or have high legal conflict? Fourth, is joint physical custody associated with worse outcomes than sole physical custody for children whose parents have a conflicted, uncooperative coparenting relationship? Recent research does not support the idea that conflict—including high legal conflict—should rule out joint physical custody as the arrangement that best serves children’s interests. Parents with joint physical custody do not generally have significantly less conflict or more cooperative relationships than parents with sole physical custody. Conflict and poor coparenting are not linked to worse outcomes for children in joint physical custody than in sole physical custody. The quality of the parent–child relationship is a better predictor than conflict of children’s outcomes, with the exception of the most extreme forms of conflict to which some children are exposed. While continuing our efforts to improve parents’ relationships with one another, we should become more invested in helping both parents maintain and strengthen their relationships with their children.
Two questions often confront family law courts and policymakers: “Is the quantity or the quality of parenting time more important for children’s outcomes?” and “Should parenting time be limited in high-conflict families?” Most discussions in the research literature give the following answers: The quality of parenting time is more important for children’s well-being than the quantity of parenting time, and when there is frequent and severe parent conflict, parenting time should be limited because it can seriously harm children. This chapter argues that these longstanding conclusions should be re-examined in the light of new evidence. It presents new data on the correlation between quantity of parenting time and quality of parent-child relationships in families with and without severe parent conflict and discusses new findings in the health literature on family relationships and children’s long-term, stress-related physical health. These new findings indicate that the lingering situation of minimal parenting time with fathers for great numbers of children is a serious public health issue.
Parents who experience great amounts of legal conflict as they dissolve their relationship and arrive at their parenting arrangements require an outsize proportion of courts’ time and resources. Additionally, there is overwhelming evidence that conflict has a deleterious effect on their children. We partnered with the family court to conduct a study comparing the effectiveness of two programs for families deemed by their judge to be high conflict and thereby mandated to a program. Both involved one 3-hour session; the existing program, Parent Conflict Resolution (PCR), used exhortational lecture and video; the newly designed experimental program, Family Transitions Guide (FTG), based on motivational interviewing, employed exercises attempting to get parents to decide for themselves what they needed to do for the sake of their children. Parents were assigned at random to one of the two programs (the literature often terms this a randomized clinical trial) and were interviewed just before it began and 9 months later, as was a child. Results showed that child's report of their own well-being was significantly improved by FTG as compared to PCR and that these effects were mediated by children feeling less caught in the middle. On several variables, parent report showed that parents in PCR as compared to FTG felt decreased problems in co-parenting and less interparental conflict, although the effects were not consistent across mother and father report. There was also evidence of diminished legal conflict over 9 months in FTG as compared to PCR.
Variable-centered research has found complex relationships between child well-being and two critical aspects of the post-divorce family environment: the level of non-residential father involvement (i.e., contact and supportive relationship) with their children and the level of conflict between the father and mother. However, these analyses fail to capture individual differences based on distinct patterns of interparental conflict, father support and father contact. Using a person-centered latent profile analysis, the present study examined (1) profiles of non-residential father contact, support, and interparental conflict in the 2 years following divorce (N = 240), when children (49 % female) were between 9 and 12 years of age and (2) differences across profiles in concurrent child adjustment outcomes as well as outcomes 6 years later. Four profiles of father involvement were identified: High Contact-Moderate Conflict-Moderate Support, Low Contact-Moderate Conflict-Low Support, High Conflict-Moderate Contact-Moderate Support, and Low Conflict-Moderate Contact-Moderate Support. Concurrently, children with fathers in the group with high conflict were found to have significantly greater internalizing and externalizing problems compared to all other groups. Six years later, children with fathers in the group with low contact and low support were found to have greater internalizing and externalizing problems compared to children with fathers in the high conflict group, and also greater internalizing problems compared to children with fathers in the low conflict group. These results provide insight into the complex relationship among non-residential fathers' conflict, contact, and support in child adjustment within divorcing families.
Evaluate an online coping skills program to prevent mental health problems in children and adolescents from divorced or separated families.
Children ages 11-16 (N = 147) whose families had filed for divorce were recruited using public court records. Participants were blocked by risk-score and randomly assigned to either a control (Internet self-study condition, Best of the Net (BTN) or the experimental intervention, Children of Divorce-Coping With Divorce (CoD-CoD), a 5-module highly interactive online program to promote effective coping skills. Program effects were tested on measures of children's self-reported coping and parent and youth reports of children's mental health problems.
Significant main effects indicated that youth in CoD-CoD improved more on self-reported emotional problems relative to BTN youth (d = .37) and had a lower rate of clinically significant self-reported mental health problems (OR = .58, p = .04). A significant Baseline × Treatment interaction indicated that the 55% of youth with highest baseline problems improved more than those in BTN on their self-report of total mental health problems. A significant interaction effect indicated that CoD-CoD improved youth coping efficacy for the 30% of those with the lowest baseline coping efficacy. For the 10% of youth with lowest parent-reported risk at baseline, those who received BTN had lower problems than CoD-CoD participants.
CoD-CoD was effective in reducing youth-reported mental health problems and coping efficacy particularly for high risk youth. Parent-report indicated that, relative to BTN, CoD-CoD had a negative effect on mental health problems for a small group with the lowest risk. (PsycINFO Database Record
(c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Two central issues addressed in this article are the extent to which young children’s time should be spent predominantly in the care of the same parent or divided more evenly between both parents, and whether children under the age of 4 should sleep in the same home every night or spend overnights in both parents’ homes. A broad consensus of accomplished researchers and practitioners agree that, in normal circumstances, the evidence supports shared residential arrangements for children under 4 years of age whose parents live apart from each other. Because of the well-documented vulnerability of father–child relationships among never-married and divorced parents, the studies that identify overnights as a protective factor associated with increased father commitment to child rearing and reduced incidence of father drop-out, and the absence of studies that demonstrate any net risk of overnights, policymakers and decision makers should recognize that depriving young children of overnights with their fathers could compromise the quality of developing father-child relationships. Sufficient evidence does not exist to support postponing the introduction of regular and frequent involvement, including overnights, of both parents with their babies and toddlers. The theoretical and practical considerations favoring overnights for most young children are more compelling than concerns that overnights might jeopardize children’s development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
A group of experts from developmental and clinical psychology, sociology, social welfare, and law met at a conference centre in Middleburg, Virginia on December 1-4, 1994, under the sponsorship of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The group's mandate was to evaluate existing knowledge regarding the ways in which children are affected by divorce and the varying custody arrangements that follow it. Many of the discussions also addressed the ways in which the adverse effects of divorce might be ameliorated by changes in policy or practice. This document represents a statement co-signed by most of the participants summarizing areas of agreement regarding the current status of knowledge in this area and outlining topics in need of further research. The report is designed to guide various legislatures, the judiciary, the bar, and the various mental health professionals who are involved in counselling or educating families experiencing separation or divorce, as well as those who mediate or adjudicate the disputes regarding the custody of minor children. The preliminary draft of this consensus document was prepared by Michael E. Lamb and Kathleen J. Sternberg following the three-day conference, with additional redrafting by Ross A. Thompson. The draft was reviewed and revised by the other participants over the ensuing months. This report, revised in accordance with the participants' comments, is a product of this process.
The AFCC Think Tank on Research, P olicy, P ractice, and S hared P arenting is quite groundbreaking, had an all‐star cast, and the issues could hardly be more important to our organization. Yet, many will regard the final report from the think tank as disappointing because, simply, it fails to say very much. I argue that the reason is that the think tank gave too little consideration to two interlocking costs to the families. First are the costs associated with individualizing decisions on a case‐by‐case basis. Much as it may be desirable, we may really not know how to properly individualize, tailor, or custom‐fit parenting plans to achieve the best possible outcomes in each case. So, the effort and expense and time and trouble taken in the futile pursuit of case‐specific decisions come with little corresponding benefits. Better to have a starting place that covers the majority of cases and families, with, of course, the ability to deviate when the fit is obviously bad. The general public strongly believes that shared parenting is that starting place and that any other position is biased. The second cost is that vagueness and ambivalence will ultimately be iatrogenic for families by leading to greater conflict. Various proposals under consideration differently incentivize parents to engage in that conflict. Presumptions, of any flavor, generally minimize such incentives. A shared parenting presumption would minimize that incentive most of all.
Key Points for the Family Court Community
We do not know enough to validly individualize custody arrangements.
Vagueness and ambivalence incentivize conflict between the parents, which we do know is deleterious.
A shared parenting presumption is strongly viewed by the public as the correct starting place and that any other position is biased.
The buzz among divorce professionals about what is “the best”—and/or the most judge preferred—arrangement exerts heavy influence on the arrangements most parents eventually settle upon.
The think tank provides an extremely useful agenda for future research.
This study examined profiles of nonresidential father engagement (i.e., support to the adolescent, contact frequency, remarriage, relocation, and interparental conflict) with their adolescent children (N = 156) 6 to 8 years following divorce and the prospective relation between these profiles and the psychosocial functioning of their offspring, 9 years later. Parental divorce occurred during late childhood to early adolescence; indicators of nonresidential father engagement were assessed during adolescence, and mental health problems and academic achievement of offspring were assessed 9 years later in young adulthood. Three profiles of father engagement were identified in our sample of mainly White, non-Hispanic divorced fathers: Moderate Involvement/Low Conflict, Low Involvement/Moderate Conflict, and High Involvement/High Conflict. Profiles differentially predicted offspring outcomes 9 years later when they were young adults, controlling for quality of the mother-adolescent relationship, mother's remarriage, mother's income, and gender, age, and offspring mental health problems in adolescence. Offspring of fathers characterized as Moderate Involvement/Low Conflict had the highest academic achievement and the lowest number of externalizing problems 9 years later compared to offspring whose fathers had profiles indicating either the highest or lowest levels of involvement but higher levels of conflict. Results indicate that greater paternal psychosocial support and more frequent father-adolescent contact do not outweigh the negative impact of interparental conflict on youth outcomes in the long term. Implications of findings for policy and intervention are discussed.
This study examines the association between joint physical custody and adolescent wellbeing and whether this relationship is conditioned by the degree of parental confl ict, the quality of the parent–child relationship and the complexity of the family confi guration of mother and father. We use data from the LAGO-project, containing information on 1,570 children with divorced parents. Overall the wellbeing of children in joint physical custody is similar to that of children in other custody arrangements. However, under certain circumstances joint physical custody can become negatively related to child wellbeing. We fi nd support for the moderating effects of parental confl ict, quality of the relationship with mother and father, and the presence of a new partner in the parental households.
The current study examined the associations between child mental health problems and the quality of maternal and paternal parenting, and how these associations were moderated by three contextual factors: quality of parenting by the other parent, interparental conflict, and the number of overnights parents had with the child. Data for the current study came from a sample of divorcing families who are in high legal conflict over developing or maintaining a parenting plan following divorce. Analyses revealed that the associations between child mental health problems and positive maternal and paternal parenting were moderated by the quality of parenting provided by the other parent and by the number of overnights children spent with parents, but not by the level of interparental conflict. When parenting by the other parent and number of overnights were considered together in the same model, only number of overnights moderated the relations between parenting and child-behavior problems. The results support the proposition that the well-being of children in high-conflict divorcing families is better when they spend adequate time with at least one parent who provides high-quality parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
Since Amato and Gilbreth’s (1999) meta-analysis of nonresident father involvement and child well-being, nonmarital childbirths and nonresident father involvement both have increased. The unknown implications of such changes motivated the present study, a meta-analytic review of 52 studies of nonresident father involvement and child well-being. Consistent with Amato and Gilbreth, we found that positive forms of involvement were associated with benefits for children, with a small but statistically significant effect size. Amounts of father–child contact and financial provision, however, were not associated with child well-being. Going beyond Amato and Gilbreth, we analyzed the associations between different types of fathering and overall child well-being, and between overall father involvement and different types of child well-being. We found that nonresident father involvement was most strongly associated with children’s social well-being and also was associated with children’s emotional well-being, academic achievement, and behavioral adjustment. The forms of father involvement most strongly associated with child well-being were involvement in child-related activities, having positive father–child relationships, and engaging in multiple forms of involvement. Moderator analyses demonstrated variation in effect sizes based on both study characteristics and demographic variables. We discuss the implications of these findings for policy and practice.
Objective:
This 15-year follow-up assessed the effects of a preventive intervention for divorced families, the New Beginnings Program (NBP), versus a literature control condition (LC).
Method:
Mothers and their 9- to 12-year-olds (N = 240 families) participated in the trial. Young adults (YAs) reported on their mental health and substance-related disorders, mental health and substance use problems, and substance use. Mothers reported on YA's mental health and substance use problems. Disorders were assessed over the past 9 years (since previous follow-up) and 15 years (since program entry). Alcohol and marijuana use, other substance use and polydrug use, and mental health problems and substance use problems were assessed over the past month, past year, and past 6 months, respectively.
Results:
YAs in NBP had a lower incidence of internalizing disorders in the past 9 years (7.55% vs. 24.4%; odds ratio [OR] = .26) and 15 years (15.52% vs. 34.62%; OR = .34) and had a slower rate of onset of internalizing symptoms associated with disorder in the past 9 years (hazard ratio [HR] = .28) and 15 years (HR = .46). NBP males had a lower number of substance-related disorders in the past 9 years (d = 0.40), less polydrug (d = 0.55) and other drug use (d = 0.61) in the past year, and fewer substance use problems (d = 0.50) in the past 6 months than LC males. NBP females used more alcohol in the past month (d = 0.44) than LC females.
Conclusions:
NBP reduced the incidence of internalizing disorders for females and males and substance-related disorders and substance use for males.
This paper addresses the question of how families are changing in the context of transformed policies on divorce in England and Wales. However, rather than painting a picture of change through the use of statistical data, the argument will be based on qualitative data which focuses on the interiority of family and kin relationships and on the principles and reasonings that individuals give for their actions. This provides more of a ground-up perspective on social change, and prioritises the actions of parents, grandparents and children rather than focusing on the consequences of policies. It is argued that we need to recognise that the changing nature of family life pushes people to negotiate new moral codes or principles, and that this in turn is generating new ways of ‘doing’ post-divorce family life.
Research indicates adolescent adjustment problems are associated with high levels of interparental conflict. This study examined parents' and adolescents' perceptions of interparental conflict and the relationship of these perceptions to adolescent adjustment through a survey of adolescent secondary students and their parents. Sixty-two adolescents and 62 parents participated in the study. Adolescents completed three self-report measures of psychological adjustment, a demographic questionnaire and the Consensus and Cohesion subscales of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Parents completed the same subscales of the DAS and a demographic questionnaire. There were no significant differences between the levels of interparental conflict perceived by adolescents and parents. However, adolescent perceptions of interparental conflict were a better predictor of adolescent psychological adjustment when compared to parental perceptions of conflict. The results of this study emphasise the importance of adolescent perceptions of interparental conflict, and provide support for both parental and adolescent reports of family functioning to be taken into account in future clinical studies.
In a pair of studies, we examine lay people’s judgments about how hypothetical cases involving child custody after divorce should be resolved. The respondents were citizens called to jury service in Pima County, AZ. Study 1 found that both male and female respondents, if they were the judge, would most commonly award equally shared custody arrangements, as advocated by most fathers’ groups. However, if the pre-divorce child care had been divided disproportionately between the parents, this preference shifted, slightly but significantly, toward giving more time to the parent who had provided most of that care, consistent with the Approximation Rule advocated by the American Law Institute. Moreover, respondents judged that the arrangements prevailing in today’s court and legal environment would award equal custody considerably less often, and would thereby provide much less parenting time to fathers, than the respondents themselves would award. Study 2 found that respondents maintained their strong preference for equally shared custody even when there are very high levels of parental conflict for which the parents were equally to blame, but awarded substantially less time to the culpable parent when only one was the primary instigator of the parental conflict. The striking degree to which the public favors equal custody combined with their view that the current court system under-awards parenting time to fathers could account for past findings that the system is seriously slanted toward mothers, and suggests that family law may have a public relations problem.
This article reviews psychoeducational programs to reduce interparental conflict in divorcing families and the negative impact of conflict on children. The authors initially identify factors shown in the basic psychosocial research literature to be related to the effects of interparental conflict on children. They then review the content of programs currently being delivered and evaluate the evidence from well-controlled studies concerning their effectiveness. Finally, the article considers directions for future program development and evaluation.
Screening for intimate partner violence and/or abuse (IPV/A) in family mediation is important, perhaps particularly among cases without attorney representation. While most mediators agree that it is ideal to consider IPV/A in case planning, there is less agreement regarding the need to universally and systematically screen for IPV/A among all cases. Such attitudes are of concern, given research in other fields (e.g., medicine, couples therapy) and our own research in a family mediation clinic, which documents that the lack of consistent and formal IPV/A assessment results in underdetection of IPV/A. While a variety of IPV/A screening measures exist, each has shortcomings. Thus, our research and clinical experience led us to develop a new IPV/A screening measure, the Mediator's Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns (MASIC). We discuss features of the MASIC and provide the full measure in the Appendix. The MASIC is a behaviorally specific IPV/A screen that assesses various types of abuse (e.g., coercive control, stalking, physical violence) over the course of the relationship and in the past year. It is administered as an interview to build rapport and assesses lethality indicators and offers optional recommendations for procedural changes in mediation based on IPV/A. Although we have begun relevant research, it is important to note that the MASIC has not yet been validated. Nonetheless, we recommend the use of systematic IPV/A screens in family mediation and suggest that such measures may prove especially important in providing unrepresented parties a safe and appropriate environment for mediation.
This article summarizes the consensus among a group of experts from developmental and clinical psychology, sociology, social welfare, and law who sought to evaluate existing empirical evidence regarding the ways in which children are affected by divorce and the varying custody arrangements that follow it. Divorce and/or single parenthood tend to have adverse effects on children's adjustment, with the magnitude of the effects varying depending on the psychological status of the two parents, the extent of conflict between them, and the financial circumstances, particularly after divorce. Children whose nonresidential parents continue to support them financially, those whose custodial parents are psychologically healthy, and those who have and maintain meaningful relationships with nonresidential parents tend to be affected less by the divorce, especially when there is no conflict between the parents. Interventions should thus be designed with these factors in mind.
This study presents descriptive and explanatory analyses of contact between former spouses, using data on 1,791 previously married men andwomen in the Netherlands. The authors employ a typology of relationships between former spouses, differentiating between friendly contact, antagonistic contact, and no contact. Ten years after divorce, still almost half of the respondents report contact with their former spouse. Especially the number of former couples with antagonistic contact decreases strongly over time. In multivariate models, we examine six hypotheses concerning (a) duration, (b) prior attachments, (c) prior conflicts, (d) life-course events after divorce, (e) liberal family values, and (f) personality. Important predictors of postdivorce contact are duration since divorce, prior economic ties, the presence of joint children, marital duration, marital conflicts, a newrelationship, and liberal values. Couples with joint children have both more friendly contact and more antagonistic contact than other couples. This difference is largest for antagonistic contact.
This two-year longitudinal study of 121 6-12-year-old children in the custody of their mothers following parental separation examined main and interacting effects of child's age and gender, frequency and regularity of visitation, father-child closeness, and parental legal conflict on children's self-esteem and behavioral adjustment at two time points. Predictors were found to have different implications for different groups of children and for children in different situations. Findings suggest the futility of seeking simple answers to whether ongoing contact with fathers following divorce is beneficial or detrimental for children.
Parental conflict and children's behavioral and social adjustment were measured at two periods in 100 families entrenched in custody and visitation disputes. More frequent access to both parents was associated with more emotional and behavioral problems in the children; different effects were noted for boys and girls.
Evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based, preventive 10-wk group program for 4th–6th grade children of divorce. The program, a modified version of the children's support group used by A. L. Stolberg et al (1982) and Stolberg and P. M. Cullen (1983), creates a group atmosphere in which children can share divorce-related feelings, clarify common misconceptions, and reduce feelings of isolation and build competence. Participants are taught problem-solving, communication, and anger-control skills to help them cope adaptively with challenges posed by parental divorce. 72 3rd–6th graders who were children of divorce, in demographically matched groups, were randomly assigned to an immediate intervention (experimental) or a delayed intervention (control) group. The experimental group improved significantly more on teacher ratings of problem behaviors and competence and parent ratings of adjustment and self-reported anxiety. Group leaders also rated experimental Ss as having improved significantly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Findings from comparisons of joint and sole custody families that do not control for predivorce differences in demographic and family process variables (factors that may predispose families to choose or be awarded joint custody) are of limited generalizability, since obtained group differences may be attributable to predisposing (self-selection) factors, custody, or both. This study compared a random sample of 254 recently separated, not-yet-divorced families on 71 predivorce variables that might plausibly differentiate between families awarded joint legal versus sole maternal custody. Twenty such factors were identified and controlled for in subsequent comparisons of 52 sole maternal and 26 joint legal custody families 2 years postdivorce. Families with joint custody had more frequent father-child visitation, lower maternal satisfaction with custody arrangements, more rapid maternal repartnering, and fewer child adjustment problems (net of predivorce selection factors). Moreover, these effects did not appear to be moderated by level of predecree parental conflict. No association between custody and fathers' compliance with child support orders was obtained.
The authors tested a biopsychosocial model in which young adults' long-term relationships with fathers and ongoing distress surrounding their parents' divorces mediated the relationship between disrupted parenting (i.e., exposure to parent conflict before the divorce and up to 5 years after, and amount of time with father postdivorce) and indicators of their physical health. University students whose parents divorced before they were 16 (n = 266) participated. Findings supported the model. The more time children lived with their fathers after divorce, the better their current relationships were with their fathers, independent of parent conflict. The more parent conflict they experienced, the worse their relationships were with their fathers and the more distress they currently felt about their parents' divorce, independent of time with father. Poor father-child relationships and more distress in turn predicted poorer health status. There was no interaction between exposure to parent conflict and time with father; thus, more time with father was beneficial in both high- and low-conflict families, and more exposure to parent conflict was detrimental at both high and low levels of time with father.
This study presents descriptive and explanatory analyses of contact between former spouses, using data on 1,791 previously married men and women in the Netherlands. The authors employ a typology of relationships between former spouses, differentiating between friendly contact, antagonistic contact, and no contact. Ten years after divorce, still almost half of the respondents report contact with their former spouse. Especially the number of former couples with antagonistic contact decreases strongly over time. In multivariate models. we examine six hypotheses concerning (a) duration, (b) prior attachments, (c) prior conflicts, (d) life-course events after divorce, (e) liberal family values, and (f) personality. Important predictors of postdivorce contact are duration since divorce, prior economic ties, the presence of joint children, marital duration, marital conflicts, a new relationship, and liberal values. Couples with joint children have both more friendly contact and more antagonistic contact than other couples. This difference is largest for antagonistic contact.
We document the dramatic decline in the United States of mother sole custody arrangements following divorce. Our empirical analysis uses Wisconsin court records data spanning more than two decades (1988–2010). Updating earlier analyses that showed significant increases in shared custody, we estimate that shared custody (where children spend at least 25% of time with each parent) has now replaced sole-mother custody as the most common post-divorce parenting arrangement—accounting for just over half (50.3%) of all cases in the most recent cohort available. We discuss the institutional context for these changes in custody in the United States, the sociodemographic factors associated with custody outcomes, and the implications for policy and practice.
This chapter examines quality of parenting following separation and divorce. It considers the most influential factors for high-quality parenting following separation and divorce; the strengths and weaknesses of available studies; and whether the quality of parenting can be improved. Detailed information is presented on the measures used in the research literature as well as the empirical studies related to the quality of maternal and paternal parenting.
Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results about the implications of contact with nonresidential parents for children in single-parent households. This study tested the hypothesis that children's contact with nonresident parents decreases children's behavior problems when interparental conflict is low but increases children's behavior problems when interparental conflict is high. Data were analyzed from 1,285 children in single-parent families from the National Survey of Families and Households. The hypothesis was supported among boys from divorced families. No support for the hypothesis was found among girls, regardless of family background.
The role the legal process of separation and divorce plays in affecting outcomes for young children and their families was examined in the Collaborative Divorce Project (CDP), an intervention designed to assist the parents of children six years old or younger as they begin the separation/divorce process (married and unmarried couples). Evaluation and outcome data were collected from 161 couples, their attorneys, teachers, and court records. In addition to positive evaluations from both parents, intervention families benefited through lower conflict, greater father involvement, and better outcomes for children than the control group. Attorneys and court records indicate that intervention families were more cooperative and were less likely to need custody evaluations and other costly services. The CDP illustrates how prevention programs can be located within the courts, can be systematically evaluated, and can aid in helping the legal system function optimally for families with young children.
This article studied the relations of children's mental health problems to the warmth of their relationship with their noncustodial father and custodial mother and the level of conflict between the parents. Using a sample of 182 divorcing families, multiple regression was used to test the independent effect of father warmth, mother warmth, and interparental conflict. Results indicated that father warmth and mother warmth were both independently related to lower child-externalizing problems. However, the relations between mother and child warmth and child-internalizing problems were different as a function of interparental conflict and level of warmth with the other parent. Implications for court practices and policies are discussed.
A meta-analysis examined the relations between children's adjustment and children's cognitive, affective, behavioral, and physiological responses to interparental conflict. Studies included children between 5 and 19 years of age. Moderate effect sizes were found for the associations between cognitions and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and self-esteem problems, negative affect and behavioral responses and internalizing behavior problems, and behavioral responses and self-esteem problems. Small to moderate effect sizes were found for the associations between cognitions and relational problems, negative affect and behavioral responses and externalizing behavior problems, and physiological reactions and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Effect sizes were, with 1 exception, larger for internalizing than for externalizing behavior problems. Age significantly moderated the majority of effect sizes.
The present study was concerned with the development and testing of a structural equation model wherein the relation of interparental conflict to the adjustment problems of young adolescents is mediated through its impact on 3 aspects of parenting behavior: lax control, psychological control, and parental rejection/withdrawal. The model was tested separately on a sample of 46 young adolescents from intact families and a group of 51 adolescents from recently divorced families. The hypothesis that most of the relation between martial conflict and adolescent adjustment problems could be explained through perturbations in the parent-child relationship received considerable support; the only direct effect of conflict was on externalizing problems in the intact sample. The results also suggested that the mediational patterns were somewhat different for the 2 samples, and that the model accounts for a greater proportion of the variance in the adjustment problems of adolescents from intact homes than of those from recently divorced families.
This article uses longitudinal data from approximately 2,000 low-income families participating in the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Child Development Program to examine the associations between preschool children's living arrangements and their cognitive achievement and emotional adjustment. The analysis distinguishes families in which children live only with their mothers from children who live in biological father, blended, and multigenerational households. Linkages are examined separately for White, Black, and Latino children. Fixed effects regression techniques reveal few significant associations between living arrangements and child development. These findings suggest that substantial diversity exists in the developmental contexts among children living in the same family structure. Policies seeking to change the living arrangements of low-income children may do little to improve child well-being.
What happens if there is presumptive 50/50 parenting time? An evaluation of Arizona’s new child custody statute
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