Abstract

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.

Highlights

  • It is still common in many Western countries for children to live either primarily or exclusively with their mother after a parental separation or divorce (Cancian et al 2014), research has identified a recent trend towards fathers being more involved in the upbringing of their children in post-separation families (Kalmijn 2016; Parkinson 2011)

  • The purpose of the analysis is to examine the association between joint physical custody and children’s mental health problems, and to test whether living in a joint physical custody arrangement is beneficial for children in post-separation families that are characterized by high levels of interparental conflict

  • The purpose of the present study has been to shed more light on the conditions under which children may profit from living in a joint physical custody arrangement by investigating the association between the physical custody arrangement, the level of interparental conflict, and children’s mental health in post-separation families

Read more

Summary

Introduction

It is still common in many Western countries for children to live either primarily or exclusively with their mother after a parental separation or divorce (Cancian et al 2014), research has identified a recent trend towards fathers being more involved in the upbringing of their children in post-separation families (Kalmijn 2016; Parkinson 2011). Because separation and divorce rates remain relatively high in Western countries (Härkönen 2014; Vanassche et al 2013), the well-being of children in post-separation families has attracted a substantial amount of attention from researchers Against this background, a large number of empirical studies have shown that, on average, children in nuclear families fare better than children in post-separation families with respect to their health and overall well-being (for overviews, see Amato 2010; Härkönen et al 2017). Frequent parent-child contact after family dissolution “strengthens the parent-child bond and facilitates the kind of authoritative parenting style, with high levels of support and control, that has been found to be positive for child development” (Turunen 2017: 372)

Methods
Results
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call