Shared Parenting Research Articles

Parents’ loneliness in sole and joint physical custody families

This study examined the relationship between post-separation physical custody arrangements – that is, sole physical custody (SPC), asymmetric, and symmetric joint physical custody (JPC) – and resident parents’ loneliness. The analyses were based on data from the Family Models in Germany (FAMOD) survey with an analytical sample of 1,146 resident parents living in post-separation families. Bivariate findings suggested that resident parents practicing asymmetric JPC reported fewer feelings of loneliness than resident parents practicing SPC. However, no differences were found between parents in symmetric JPC and SPC families. In the full multivariate model, the difference between resident parents in asymmetric JPC and SPC arrangements disappeared. Results showed that resident parents practicing asymmetric JPC had more time for friends and were less depressive and, thus, felt less lonely than parents with SPC arrangements.

Adaptation and validation of the Parental Behaviour Scale for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Chinese parents

BackgroundThe present study aimed to adapt and examine the psychometric properties of the Parental Behaviour Scale - ASD (PBS-A) in Chinese parents of young children with ASD. MethodsThe translated version of the PBS-A was administered to 416 parents of young children with ASD (sample 1) to examine the construct validity and internal consistencies. One hundred and five of them (sample 2) were followed-up a month later to examine the test-retest reliability. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Autism Parenting Stress Inventory (APSI) were administered along with the Chinese version of the PBS-A (C-PBS-A) in Sample 3 (n = 110) to examine the criterion validity of the scale. ResultsThe original structure was not replicated, and a new seven-factor structure containing 41 items was determined using exploratory factor analysis. There were four dimensions measuring shared parenting behaviors with typically developing children and three dimensions measuring ASD-specific parenting behaviors. The internal consistencies and test-retest reliabilities of the C-PBS-A were acceptable. The positive correlations among subscales of the C-PBS-A and similar dimensions in the APQ supported good convergent validity. In support of predictive validity, supportive dimensions in the C-PBS-A were negatively correlated with children’s behavioral problems and parenting stress, while negative control dimensions were positively correlated with these two variables. ConclusionThe Chinese version of the Parental Behaviour Scale (ASD) has good validity and reliability. It can be used to measure the parenting behaviors among Chinese parents of young children with ASD in future research.

Physical custody arrangements and fathers’ post-separation well-being

ABSTRACT Joint physical custody (JPC) is an emerging post-separation care arrangement in which children spend considerable periods of time with both of their parents. Although there is some research on JPC that has focused on children’s well-being, little is known about how this physical custody arrangement affects fathers’ well-being. Therefore, this study investigated the well-being of fathers with symmetric JPC and of non-resident fathers whose children live either mostly or exclusively with their mother. The statistical analysis draws on longitudinal data from waves 4–12 of the German Family Panel (pairfam). Random- and fixed-effects regression models were estimated for 1,372 observations of 389 fathers. The results of the bivariate random-effects models showed that fathers with symmetric JPC reported higher life satisfaction than other fathers. However, the fixed-effects model indicated that these differences were due to positive selection into symmetric JPC. Moreover, the results of the multivariate random- and fixed-effects models showed no statistically significant relationship between physical custody arrangements and fathers’ stress, depressiveness, life satisfaction, and general health. Taken together, this study suggests that physical custody arrangements are unrelated to fathers’ post-separation well-being while hinting at the relevance of selection processes among post-separation families.

Å ha felles barn med nokon med rusmiddelproblem: ein kvalitativ pilotstudie

Objective: To examine the experiences of shared parental responsibility with someone affected by substance use disorder (SUD). Characteristics of the experiences and coping strategies were explored. Method: A semi-structured focus group interview was conducted with (N=4) individuals who consulted with a support service regarding their relationship. The participants shared parenting either in a current relationship or as ex-partners. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews. Results: Overall, participants reported significant strain due to shared parenting. The parents reported considerable concern for and strain in their efforts to compensate for the potential damage to the child caused by the parent with SUD. The parents reported varied views regarding professional help, some of them feeling further burdened by interactions with the health care services. Conclusions/Implications: These preliminary results substantiate an association between shared parenting with someone affected by SUD and potential traumatic strain and underline the need for adequate support for these parents. Our observations need further investigation in studies using a larger sample. Keywords: substance use disorders, next of kin, shared parenting, emotional strain, health care

PELAKSANAAN HAK ASUH BERSAMA TERHADAP ANAK DI BAWAH UMUR : ANALISIS NORMA HUKUM

Regarding child custody after divorce, Indonesia adheres to a sole custody system with reference to the Compilation of Islamic Law. However, in recent years the Religious Courts have implemented a shared custody system which refers to the Marriage Law and the Child Protection Act as considerations by taking into account the best interests of the child. This paper tries to examine comparatively the legal basis governing joint custody rights for minors. The method used in this research is a qualitative research with a normative juridical approach which is described in an analytical descriptive manner. In this paper, the hierarchical theory of laws and regulations is used, namely the laws and regulations set by the state, so the lower provisions must not conflict with the higher provisions. The results of this study indicate that the concepts used in the implementation of the joint custody system in Indonesia are the concept of physical custody division and the concept of legal custody sharing, with the pattern of distribution of residence time determined by the judge in the Court without prejudice to the value of the best interests of the child. This is a form of transformation of childcare laws that were previously applicable in Indonesia. After a comparison was made on the legal norms governing joint custody of minors, it was found that every statutory regulation governing child custody places legal subjects differently so that it has implications for their legal position. keyword: children, legal custody, Sharing custody system

Does Part-Time Mothering Help Get a Job? The Role of Shared Custody in Women’s Employment

Though child shared physical custody arrangements after divorce are much more frequent and parents who use it more diverse in many European countries, little is known about their economic consequences for parents. By relaxing family time constraints, does shared custody help divorced mothers return to or stay on work more easily? Since lone mothers are one of the least-employed groups, and they face high unemployment rates, the type of child custody arrangement adopted after divorce is of particular interest for their employability. This article analyses to what extent the type of child custody arrangement affects mothers’ labour market patterns after divorce.Using a large sample of divorcees from an exhaustive French administrative income tax database, and taking advantage of the huge territorial discrepancies observed in the proportion of shared custody, we correct for the possible endogeneity of shared custody. Results show that not repartnered mothers with shared custody arrangements are 24 percentage points more likely to work one year after divorce compared to those having sole custody, while no significant effect is found for repartnered mothers. Among lone mothers, we also highlight huge heterogeneous effects: larger positive effects are observed for previously inactive women, for those belonging to the lowest income quintiles before divorce, for those with a young child, and for those who have three or more children. Thus, shared physical custody arrangements may reduce work–family conflict by diminishing childcare expenses and enlarge the possibilities to find a suitable job because of more relaxed time constraints for lone mothers.

Child-Centred Approach to Shared Parenting: Parents’ Experiences with Bird’s Nest Parenting Arrangement

Child-Centred Approach to Shared Parenting: Parents’ Experiences with Bird’s Nest Parenting Arrangement

Parental Separation or Divorce, Shared Parenting Time Arrangements, and Child Well-Being: New Findings for Canada

Parental Separation or Divorce, Shared Parenting Time Arrangements, and Child Well-Being: New Findings for Canada

Sleep in adolescence: Considering family structure and family complexity

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate associations between family structure, family complexity, and sleep in adolescence.BackgroundFamily structure may be associated with sleep patterns and sleep problems among adolescents. Yet, research documenting this association has not captured the complexity of modern families and used crude measures of sleep.MethodThe youth@hordaland study (N = 8833) of adolescents aged 16–19 conducted in 2012 in Norway provided a detailed assessment of family structure, family complexity (i.e., living with half‐/stepsiblings), and multiple sleep parameters. Insomnia and delayed sleep–wake phase disorder (DSWPD) were defined in alignment with diagnostic criteria. Ordinary least squares and Poisson regression analyses were used to assess associations between family structure, family complexity, and sleep outcomes.ResultsAdolescents in joint physical custody (JPC) had more similar sleep parameters as peers in nuclear families than in single‐and stepparent families. Adolescents in single‐ and stepparent families had a higher risk of short sleep duration on weekdays, long sleep onset latency, long wake after sleep onset, oversleeping, insomnia, and DSWPD than peers in nuclear families. Family complexity was also associated with a higher risk of sleep problems, but the risk attenuated when considered jointly with family structure. Socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms partly attenuated the differences between the groups.ConclusionInequalities in sleep exist by family structure and, in part, family complexity. Despite alternating between two homes and often experiencing family complexity, sleep among adolescents in JPC was more similar to peers in nuclear families than in single‐ and stepparent families.

Parental Divorce During Childhood: Interparental Conflict, Socioeconomics, and Shared Custody

Parental Divorce During Childhood: Interparental Conflict, Socioeconomics, and Shared Custody

Adolescent self-esteem, parent-child relationships, and joint physical custody

This study’s objective was to examine differences in self-esteem between adolescents living in joint physical custody (JPC) and sole physical custody (SPC) families and to test the mediating role of parent-child relationships. Based on data from the Family Models in Germany study we estimated OLS regression and structural equation models for 294 adolescents aged 11 to 14. Adolescents in JPC reported marginally higher self-esteem than their counterparts in SPC. When controlling for positive and negative indicators of the quality of parent-child relationships, mother-child and father-child closeness were positively related to adolescent self-esteem and fully mediated the relationship between physical custody arrangements and self-esteem. Thus, the quality of parent-child relationships was more important in explaining adolescent self-esteem than physical custody arrangements.

Children's well-being in sole and joint physical custody families.

Joint physical custody (JPC), a parental care arrangement in which children live with each parent about equally after separation or divorce, is an increasingly common phenomenon in many countries. This is a major shift away from the standard of sole physical custody (SPC), in which children live primarily with one parent (usually their mother) after family dissolution. Although attention to JPC by social scientists is growing, and the effects of this arrangement on children's well-being are the subject of highly ideological debates, there is currently little empirical evidence with statistical power on JPC. Using data from Family Models in Germany (FAMOD), a survey of postseparation families conducted in 2019, we estimated four linear regression models for children aged 2-14 in SPC and JPC families, with analytic samples of up to 1,161 cases. We investigated the association between physical custody arrangements after separation or divorce and four dimensions of children's well-being: psychological, physical, social, and cognitive/educational. The bivariate results provided support for the hypothesis that children living in JPC families fare significantly better than children living in SPC families on all four dimensions of well-being. However, after controlling for a set of child, parent, and separation characteristics, as well as for the quality of family relationships, the differences between children from SPC and JPC families disappeared. Additional analyses revealed that the parent-child relationships fully mediated this association. In sum, the quality of family relationships accounted for the positive association between JPC and children's well-being in this study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Mothers’ Economic Well-Being in Sole and Joint Physical Custody Families

Previous research has repeatedly shown that separation or divorce can lead to a substantial decline in economic resources, and that it is mostly mothers who suffer from the severe economic consequences. Because it has also been established that the post-separation care arrangement that a family practices is a central factor in explaining mothers’ poor economic situations after family dissolution, this study investigated the association between physical custody arrangements (sole physical custody, asymmetric joint physical custody, and symmetric joint physical custody) and the economic well-being of 1018 residential mothers from the Family Models in Germany study. The results of the ordered logistic regression models showed that mothers in asymmetric and symmetric joint physical custody families reported higher levels of economic well-being than mothers with sole physical custody. When controlling for a set of confounders, the differences between mothers with sole physical custody and symmetric joint physical custody disappeared, which suggests that the economic advantages of mothers with symmetric joint physical custody can be fully explained by factors like the mothers’ working hours, their personal net income, their partnership status, and the fairness of their financial arrangement with their former partner. In contrast, the relationship between asymmetric joint physical custody and mothers’ economic situations remained significant even after control variables were included in the regression models. However, the question of what role selection processes among parents play in explaining the observed differences in post-separation economic well-being between mothers in sole and joint physical custody families remains open.

Supplemental Material for Joint Physical Custody and Academic Achievement Among Youth: A Population-Based Study With Registry Linkage

Supplemental Material for Joint Physical Custody and Academic Achievement Among Youth: A Population-Based Study With Registry Linkage

JOINT PHYSICAL CUSTODY AFTER DIVORCE

The article focusses on the issue of joint physical custody as a method of regulating parental authority after divorce or separation in the Polish family law. The purpose of the analysis is to clarify the concept of joint physical custody, its relation to parental authority and practical problems related to the institution of joint physical custody. Joint physical custody has not been regulated directly in the Polish law and therefore raises many doubts in the courts. It leads to different treatment of citizens by the public authorities. The article also discusses development of joint physical custody in the United States considered to be the birthplace of this institution. In foreign legal systems, the rule is to maintain parental authority of both parents after divorce. This corresponds to strong belief on the European and international forum that such an arrangement is the most appropriate for the best interests of the child

Parental involvement in stepfamilies: Biology, relationship type, residence, and gender

AbstractObjectiveThis study investigates the determinants of parental involvement in diverse types of stepfamilies.BackgroundMost research has studied parental involvement in married stepfather families with resident children. This study also includes some of the more recent and emerging stepfamily types (e.g., living‐apart‐together [LAT] stepfamilies) allowing for a simultaneous examination of the role of biological relatedness, type of relationship, residence, and gender for parental involvement. It also examines whether the role of biological relatedness differs depending on parents' gender and children's residence.MethodMultiple regression analyses were conducted using the New Families in the Netherlands (NFN) survey, large‐scale data collected among divorced and separated parents with minor children (2015/16; N = 3218).ResultsBiological parents were more involved than stepparents (i.e., a stepgap was observed). This stepgap was smallest in married stepfamilies, followed by cohabiting stepfamilies and LAT stepfamilies, respectively. (Step)parents with resident children were more involved than those with nonresident children, with involvement being higher for full‐time resident children than part‐time resident (i.e., joint physical custody) children. The stepgap was larger for resident children than nonresident children, but did not differ between mothers and fathers.ConclusionBiological relatedness, type of relationship, and where children reside are important determinants of parental involvement, whereas more nuance is required for the role of parents' gender.

Early childhood family background predicts meal frequency behaviour in children: Five-year follow-up study.

Childhood nutrition patterns have an important role in later health. We studied the role of family type, other family background factors and their changes over a five-year follow-up with respect to meal frequency among children. Longitudinal data were collected in 2007-2009 and 2013-2014. A nationally representative sample of Finnish children (n = 1822) aged 0.5-5 years at baseline and 5-10 years at follow-up and their families were used. The participation rate was 83% at baseline and 54% at follow-up. Meal frequency was defined as four to six meals per day. The associations of meal frequency with family background factors over a five-year follow-up period were examined by bivariate and multivariate regression analyses. Eighty-nine per cent of the 5-10-year-old boys and girls had the recommended meal frequency at follow-up. Living in a single-parent family at baseline increased the risk of not eating the recommended number of meals compared with those living in intact families. After adjustments, a mother's low level of education (OR 0.51, CI 0.29-0.93) and a decrease in income sufficiency (OR 0.54, CI 0.35-0.84) during the follow-up period were unfavourably associated with the recommended meal frequency. The difference between children in stable single-parent, reconstituted or joint physical custody families and those living in stable intact families remained significant when controlling for other variables. Single-parent families with a low socioeconomic position represent important target groups for interventions designed to promote regular meal frequency.

Impact of Joint Physical Custody and Best Interest of the Child: Reflections from a Critical Review of Empirical Studies

ABSTRACT The main goal of this study is to perform a critical literature review of empirical research that measures the effects of joint physical custody (JPC) on children’s and parents’ wellbeing from a sociological perspective. Its focus is Spain in the scope of the Second Demographic Transition (SDT). The studies reviewed show no consensus on terminology that best expresses the condition of JPC, definition of the concept of JPC, or what it is meant by best interest of the child (BIC). A systematic search was performed to locate publications on Spain from 2015–2020. The review shows that the vast majority of JPC resolutions are granted to a specific family profile: highly educated parents who have experienced a low level of family conflict. The review of theoretical antecedents raises the following unanswered questions: Is SDT culture determining the progress of the legal system? Does existing law benefit a specific segment of the parent population? Is a correspondence occurring between family change, jurisprudence, and family and economic policies that benefits children and parents? This study highlights the need for consensus in defining the concepts of JPC and BIC, as well as the measures and methodology to be applied to analyze them.

The relation between joint physical custody, interparental conflict, and children's mental health

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.

Discoursal representation of masculine parenting in Arabic and English websites

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences and similarities between Arabic and English parents’ role in Arabic and English parenting website texts and the linguistic exponents used to address parents and signal their roles, and to find out the socio-cultural ideologies that have given rise to variations in gender roles. To this end, a corpus of 40 articles targeting gender-neutral titles and father related ones were selected equally from English and Arabic websites. Drawing on Van Leeuwen’s (2008) framework on critical discourse analysis (CDA) and Sunderland’s (2000, 2006) framework of analysis, the data were analysed and contrasted. The English texts reflected the prevalence of ‘shared parenting’ discourse, whereas the Arabic ones revealed a ‘very traditional parenthood’ discourse. These differences can be attributed to variation in the socio-cultural practices dominant in Arab and Western societies. Such findings will hopefully provide some useful insights for family life educators and parents who resort to such websites.