Parental conflict as it occurs in the context of divorce was studied in an effort to determine the role that conflict plays in a variety of psychosocial problems in children. Data were drawn from a 5-year longitudinal study of about 1,000 families who filed for divorce in 1984. The first phase of the study involved a series of interviews with the…

This paper recognizes an increasing demand for counseling services for children and adults affected by divorce and notes that counselors traditionally have not been trained to provide such services. It presents a six-unit training outline which can be used as a course or as an inservice workshop for training mental health workers in offering…

This document contains witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to consider H.R. 604, a bill which would amend the Missing Children's Assistance Act, to direct the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to make grants for establishing, assisting, or expanding state missing children…

This publication is the sixth annual compilation of summaries of legislation pertaining to children, youth, and families enacted by the individual states and by Puerto Rico. It contains information gathered by National Conference of State Legislatures staff through direct requests from legislative staff, and includes summaries of legislation…

Although divorcing parents have a variety of child custody arrangements from which to choose, opinions are mixed as to which children benefit from which arrangements. To compare the adjustment of boys in joint and maternal physical custody and to investigate factors related to their adjustment, 20 joint custody families with a boy aged 6-11 and a…

Children's reactions to divorce are explored by examining the following types of variables: (1) outcome variables such as adjustment to home and school; (2) contextual variables such as socioeconomic status; and (3) psychosocial factors such as attitudes. Most children were found to be well adjusted, especially when they were still involved with…

"Speak Out for Children" is the quarterly newsletter of the Children's Rights Council, Inc. (CRC), a children's rights and family preservation advocacy group. The feature articles for these four issues track the progress of the access/visitation grants included in the welfare reform legislation; the grants are to help establish and…

Examined effects of divorce and custody arrangements on Taiwanese preschoolers' emotional adjustment and gender role development 2 years after divorce. Found no differences in maladjustment of children from divorced versus two-parent families. Found children with same-sex custodial parents were better adjusted than children in custody with…

Because more than 3.75 million children are being raised in households headed by a grandparent, this article attempts to describe contextual aspects of custodial grandparent families. Implications for working with custodial grandparent families, as well as suggested strategies for building close collaborations, are also provided. (Author/DB)

Intended for counselors working in schools or residential child care settings, in child welfare and family preservation services, or in juvenile justice, this facilitator's guide outlines a workshop for children and adolescents growing up in single-parent families. The guide first presents a framework for a one-class or five-class workshop…

This book provides advice on minimizing the negative effects of divorce on children, including what normal behavior to expect, what language to use and not use, and what legal and custody issues will affect the child. The book contains eight chapters. Chapter 1, "The Decision to Separate," covers such topics as breaking the news to children, trial…

Research and experience from throughout the child welfare system have established that maintaining a strong connection between children and their families is critical to ensure positive outcomes for children in out-of-home care. Ways in which administrators and managers in out-of-home care agencies bring a family focus to their policy,…

With marriage laws in a state of flux, it is difficult to give unqualified answers to many of the serious and important questions people ask about law and marriage. To a great extent, each state is sovereign in the laws affecting marriage. Courts are playing an active role in defining and changing the legal consequences of marriage and other…

Hess and Camara (1979) have shown that it is post-divorce family functioning, rather than family structure, that is most important in influencing the effects of divorce on children. A child's adjustment to divorce should be viewed as a developmental process rather than as a single event. Consequently, it is important to focus on the ways in which…

Little research has examined the process by which parents decide about the custody of their children during divorce. Data were obtained from divorcing couples with minor children: 40 couples had decided that sole custody would go to the mother (traditional); 7 couples had decided on joint custody, and 1 couple had decided on split custody…