Visitation Rights Research Articles

Grandparents' visitation rights: Legalizing the ties that bind.

Grandparents' visitation rights: Legalizing the ties that bind.

The Denial of Visitation Rights: A Preliminary Look at its Incidence, Correlates, Antecedents and Consequences

The issue of visitation denial has inspired considerable debate and legislative activity. This article presents empirical evidence on the scope of the problem and the relationship between visitation and child support payment behaviors. Visitation denial is shown to be a problem, although reported levels of denial fall below both levels of non‐contact by absent parents and non‐payment of child support noted in previous research. Visitation difficulties appear to become established fairly early on in the separation/divorce process and fail to deviate over time. Although non‐payment of child support cases do not always involve a visitation problem, the two phenomena are related with visitation problem cases being more likely to involve non‐payment of child support. The data do not permit a deciphering of causal order in cases that involve both types of non‐compliance. However, both phenomena appear to stem from conflict patterns between the parents which are detectable at early stages of the divorce process. These findings inspire several recommendations, including interventions with divorcing parents aimed at enhancing their communication skills and reducing levels of anger and hostility and the need to develop mechanisms in which visitation and child support grievances can be jointly aired.

Grandparent visitation rights: Rendering family dissension more pronounced?

Legislation allowing grandparents to file suit to gain court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren is now law in most states. Legal issues and reported cases are presented, and problems for children and families that are posed by this sort of legal conflict are outlined.

Making Parents Behave: The Conditioning of Child Support and Visitation Rights

Making Parents Behave: The Conditioning of Child Support and Visitation Rights

The Visitation Dilemma in Court Consultation

What are the “best interests” of the child in conflicts over visitation rights? Mental health consultants to the courts are often called upon to deal with this question. Research on the issue is discussed, and strategies are suggested for dealing with it.

Including the divorced father in family therapy

In dealing with divorced parents, family therapists often conduct sessions without the parent who lives away from the children. This is usually the father. The author urges practitioners to involve the father in family therapy, both to acknowledge the bond that will always remain between father and child and to deal with practical problems such as visitation rights. Family therapy sessions have his

France-United States: Notices Concerning Reciprocity with Regard to Family Support, Child Custody and Visitation Rights

France-United States: Notices Concerning Reciprocity with Regard to Family Support, Child Custody and Visitation Rights

Fathers, children, and joint custody.

This survey of 40 middle-class divorced fathers, focusing on father's perceptions of their relationship with their children, suggests that those with joint custody are more likely than those with visitation rights to continue to have a high degree of involvement in and influence on their children's growth and development. It is argued that children of divorce, as do children of intact families, need loving relationships with two parents, and that joint custody arrangements should be encouraged.

Mental health services available to the bench and bar to assist in resolving problems relating to custody and visitation in family law cases

Abstract Custody and visitation rights can become the focus of parental feelings in the dissolution of a marriage. Mental health professionals are of service to the family and the court by information gathering, evaluation, as expert witnesses, and as mediators. The education and counseling of parents about the traumatic impact of divorce should become mandatory in dissolving families with children involved. The results of a survey in the State of California are presented and a discussion of a Post‐Divorce Clinic is reviewed.

Conjoint family therapy following divorce: An alternative strategy

Abstract Family therapists are increasingly confronted with the need to develop appropriate and effective intervention strategies to help families cope with the problems which occur following a divorce. Most often the problems manifest themselves in the children. Children of divorced parents are often exposed to an unusual amount of tension and conflict. There may have been an extended period of conflict and disruptive family relations before the divorce. In addition, the legal system of divorce, which encourages an adversary approach, can escalate the conflicts between the parents, frequently on issues related to the children, e.g., custody, visitation rights, and child support.

Conjugal Visitation Rights and the Appropriate Standard of Judicial Review for Prison Regulations

Conjugal Visitation Rights and the Appropriate Standard of Judicial Review for Prison Regulations

CHILDREN OF DIVORCE

One (or more) out of three marriages in the United States ends in divorce, involving numerous children. The result of a broken home by divorce may be similar to the death of the parent, affecting the emotional growth and development of children. Attention is focused here on the confusion in the parents and children, their projection and compensation for guilt feelings, retaliation by the use of the children, feelings of helplessness and magic in the children, their wishes to reunite the parents, the effects of relocation, and the influence of internal realignments on external realities. The initial emotional response is that of separation anxiety; following divorce finalization, there is a mourning reaction. The manifestation of these responses vary according to the child's age, sex, level of psychosexual development, previous history, and current arrangements. Some understanding and definite guidelines to visitation rights, parental dating, and remarriage are considered. If in spite of their own emotional upheaval the parents are alert to the child's anxiety or depression, they may be able to institute prophylactic measures. This requires parental cooperation which may be quite difficult. Here the advice and explanations of an informed and perceptive pediatrician may be of unique value.