YOUNG CHILDREN, ATTACHMENT SECURITY, AND PARENTING SCHEDULES

Abstract

The focus of a recent Family Court Review Special Issue on attachment, separation, and divorce included perspectives primarily from researchers in the Bowlby/Ainsworth tradition. A number of the authors made recommendations against overnight visits for very young children. I review conceptualizations and measures of attachment security as well as empirical findings. Currently the foundation to make general recommendations regarding overnight visits is inadequate. Caution is needed in using attachment measures in court evaluations and regarding restrictive legal presumptions and theoretical orientations. Custody and access evaluations and decisions need to apply scientifically sound principles to the individual characteristics of each case.Key Points for the Family Court Community: Simple “yes” or “no” answers are inadequate regarding the question of overnight visits for young children. Attachment security can change and is influenced by multiple factors over the life span. There are important scientific, ethical, and cost factors when considering the possible use of attachment security measures in custody evaluation. Scientific findings about how overnight visits affect young children are mixed and seem best explained by differences in parental characteristics and interactions. Each case deserves decision‐making based on careful reasoning, informed by scientific findings and the relevant individual circumstances.