Nové formy rodičovství: střídavá péče a hledání jejích důsledků pro děti – přehledová studie

Abstract

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.