Asserts that sole custody has not met the needs of the divorced family. Discusses the benefits of joint custody as an alternative that more realistically defines the postdivorce relationship between the child and both parents. The linkage between joint custody and divorce mediation is also discussed. (Author)

Describes single fathers rearing children alone following divorce (N=1,136). Findings revealed four primary reasons for the divorce and four broad situations in which the fathers obtained custody. These latter situations often are affected by the mother's desire to relinquish custody. (NRB)

This report presents data on single parent families, focusing on the child support income that custodial parents reported receiving during the calendar year prior to the survey as well as other support provided, such as health insurance and non-cash support for children up to age 21 years. Data came from the April 2000 supplement to the Current…

Joint custody of children is the most prevalent court ordered arrangement for families of divorce. A growing body of literature indicates that many parents engage in behaviors that are incompatible with shared parenting. This article provides specific criteria for a definition of the Shared Parenting Dysfunction. Clinical aspects of the phenomenon…

A study of over 9,000 custody/visitation dispute cases found that sexual abuse allegations occurred in 2 percent of contested cases. Such cases involve a variety of accused and accusing parties and are no less likely to be "unfounded" than other sexual abuse reports. (Author/JDD)

Addresses community attitude that angry adversarial divorces are normal and inevitable and asserts that, to change the divorce experience of Americans, the community attitude must change. Notes that one part of client community created and demanded and achieved joint custody and no fault divorce, and that it is up to the clients to demand and…

In New Zealand, in child abuse or neglect cases, decision making regarding the child's protection is given to his/her extended family. The family provides emergency placement if possible and develops a safety plan. In the 4 years since the implementation of this policy, foster care in some areas has fallen by 90%. The extended family should be…

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…

Domestic violence continues to be a serious problem for women in the United States. As a result, the battered women's movement has been tireless in campaigning for greater awareness of the issue, tougher penalties against offenders, and public vigilance against potential batterers, including fathers from dissolving families. In reaction to this…

Objective: One objective was to determine if cocaine-using women who did not maintain infant custody (NMC) would report more psychological distress, domestic violence, negative coping skills, lower social support and more childhood trauma than cocaine-using women who maintained custody (MC) of their infant. A second objective was to evaluate the…

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…