Contends that marital dissolution may inspire motivation for geographic and psychological distance, and when this occurs, there are serious implications for child custody determinations. Addresses complexities that arise in several realms when one parent desires to relocate and implications this may have for what transpires in therapy. (Author/NB)

Interviewed 32 members from fathers' rights groups about postdivorce parenting experiences, troubles with family law practices, and posturing on fathers' rights platform. Fathers presented uniform voice in support of fathers' rights' public image of caring fathers who want men to be recognized as fathers and who are requesting equitable treatment…

Findings from 371 parents who sought help from missing children's organizations provided profile of families in which children were abducted by 1 of parents. Abductors were described as less educated and less likely to be employed than searching parents. Three-fourths of abducted children were younger than seven years of age; most abductions…

Examined data from 225 divorced fathers. Found that fathers who reported more positive relationships with their ex-wives were more satisfied with their custody arrangements; were more likely to blame themselves for marriage breakup; discussed greater number of topics with ex-wives; had higher educational levels; and reported greater feelings of…

The purpose of this article is to elucidate the sources of controversy between the use of the terms Parental Alienation Syndrome and Parental Alienation and to delineate the advantages and disadvantages of using either term in the context of child-custody disputes. It concludes that families are best served when the more specific term, Parental…

Joint custody and cooperative coparenting are often unsafe for women who leave violent partners. Although certain legal protections are available, more work is needed to understand and address abused women's needs in this context. This study provides divorce scholars and practitioners with information on the interface between separation/divorce…

The social inclusion of vulnerable children is high on the political agenda in Britain. With policy issues concerning children in care or so-called "looked after children" (LAC) at such a pivotal point, now is the time to ensure that the educational needs of these particularly vulnerable children and young people take centre stage. It…

This report presents Wisconsin state legislation dealing with custody arrangements. Part I gives key provisions of 1987 Assembly Bill 205. Part II reviews background activities related to the custody legislation. Part III discusses major issues relating to child custody arrangements, including definition clarification, child custody dispute…

Joint custody, the newest child custody alternative following divorce, is intended to benefit and serve the best interests of children. Unintended consequences, however, have been relatively unexplored, which raises questions as to the viability of joint custody for all families, regardless of social class, race, or ethnicity. Until further…

Reports on a research program investigating a model of mediator communicative competence in a divorce mediation context. Presents coding schemes for categorizing mediator interventions and disputants' negotiation tactics. Displays and interprets data by focusing on the pragmatic value of the model for practicing divorce mediators. (MM)

Determined how gender and divorce affect per-capita family income. Female per-capita income decreased substantially after divorce, while male per-capita income increased substantially. Differences between male and female income levels could not be attributed solely to number of dependents. Even among those with no dependents, females had much…

Analyzed 160 contested child custody cases to explore the role of children and determine the extent to which judges use discretionary powers. Results suggested children rarely provide any direct input into divorce/custody proceedings, questioning whether judges fulfill their duty to determine the child's best interests in such cases. (JAC)

Reviews 35 cases involving contested child custody and visitation and generalizes about the techniques used by experienced divorce mediators to help couples reach resolutions to their differences. Discusses different ways mediators orient couples to mediation, gain their commitment, identify the issues, overcome emotional obstacles and generate…

Compares two custody dispute intervention strategies, evaluation and mediation, and clarifies their philosophy, procedural differences, and limitations. The growing dissatisfaction with existing methods of processing custody disputes is affecting public policy as well as the focus of social research and the practice of the mental health…

Children's perspectives can enlighten decisions regarding custody and parenting plans. This article discusses why most procedures for soliciting children's preferences do not reliably elicit information on their best interests and do not give children a meaningful voice in decision making. Instead, these procedures provide children with forums in…