Hum Rel/Law & Gov/Grab Bag: Is there Empirical Evidence of Benefits for the Child who is able to Interact with both Parents daily in a Divorced situation?

March 5, 2010 8:02 AM

I need to find this. Very important to me. Is there empirical evidence relating to this question: Are there advantages for the children of divorced families being able to interact with both parents every day? If so, what are those benefits?--Again, in terms of citable evidence.

The situation:
•Cleveland, Ohio
•One child; divorce is 7 years post-mortem; Divorce Decree resulted in Shared Parenting; mother is Residential Parent.
•Mother has filed a Motion to change the Shared Parenting Plan which states that the child is supposed to be with me (father) after school each day.

posted by justrobin to Human Relations (3 answers total)

Best answer: I found some information in an article abstract. If you want the whole article you may be able to get it from your local uni or you can MeMail me and I can try to get it to you. Good luck.

"Findings from research projects in Virginia (Hetherington, Cox, & Cox, 1982; Hetherington & Hagan, 1986), California (Wallerstein & Kelly, 1980), Arizona (Braver & O'Connell, 1998), and Texas (Warshak, 1986, 1992) all supported the position that, in most cases, children benefit from postdivorce arrangements that foster continuing relations with both parents and more contact with fathers than was typically taking place."
posted by ShadePlant at 8:16 AM on March 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Try contacting the writer of this blog. His email is on the left side of his page. Most of the research will say it depends on the child and it depends on how well the parents get along. If this is 7 years post divorce, I assume the child is in at least 4th or 5th grade. As they get older their opinions on it start to weigh in. Also, as they have more outside activities like soccer, other sports and general public events, both parents naturally have access to them more often (assuming you both can go to a soccer game and not cause a scene). Then, as they get older still, they drive and no amount of planning can account for that. When they drive, how do you stop them from getting in the car and meeting you for a sandwich?
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:28 AM on March 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: ShadePlant et al: Thank you for the information pertaining to the division of a child's time between divorced parents. However, what I am looking to find is something citing a positive effect for the child related to the frequency of interaction with each parent.

I am fighting to continue the daily after-school time my son and I have had since he began school 5 years ago.
•So, I am looking for something that says yes, that is beneficial to the child of divorced parents. But maybe,
•something that concludes in a positive effect for a child who interacts with each parent every day, regardless of whether they're married.
posted by justrobin at 2:24 PM on March 7, 2010