{3:40 minutes to read} This is a continuation in our article series that focuses on Joint and Sole Custody. Click here to read part 1, part 2 or part 3.

In part 4, we focus on the role of conflict in shared parenting arrangements:

A number of researchers (McIntosh, 2010, Trinder, 2010) have noted that the level of parental conflict is a critical factor in accounting for the efficacy of children’s post-divorce adjustments, irrespective of the particular custodial arrangement. The level of parental conflict, thus, appears to be a critical mediating variable upon which shared versus sole custody arrangements should be predicated.

Trinder (2010) and Bauserman (2012), in reviewing the literature, conclude that pre-existing family characteristics can predict subsequent pathways and outcomes following divorce. As discussed in prior blogs, some of these variables include socioeconomic factors such as age, level of education and level of income. In addition, the level of cooperation between the parents is yet another important variable that needs to be considered.  

According to Trinder (2010) and Bauserman (2012), parents who are able to work cooperatively are more likely to develop flexible sharing arrangements with positive outcomes. By contrast, high-conflict parents tend to develop rigid arrangements, which are associated with poorer child adjustment and lower child satisfaction. Therefore, in assessing the efficacy of post-divorce arrangements, it seems important to delineate what differentiates the cooperative, low-conflict group of parents from their high-conflict counterparts.

The available research further suggests that a key variable in making a decision with respect to parental access is the quality of parental involvement with the children and the parents’ ability to focus on the children’s needs.  

High-quality parental involvement in multiple areas of a child’s life functions as a protective factor that buffers the children from the impact of the parental separation. High levels of parental warmth and sensitivity to the child’s needs can compensate for the negative effects of interpersonal conflict. Time allocation with the children, in the aftermath of a divorce, should then be subject to an analysis of the quality of the parents’ relationship and the degree of parental conflict.  

In their review of the literature, McIntosh & Smith (2012) identify some of the risk factors that predict poor shared parenting arrangements.

These include:

• Younger parents;
• Lower SES;
• Parents who live far apart;
• Parents who did not choose a shared custodial arrangement but rather such arrangements were imposed on them;
• Parents with limited external resources;
• Level of distrust among the parents; and
• Arrangements that are not child-focused.

Some of the psychological dimensions that need to be considered, and are likely to be associated with poorer outcomes with respect to parental access, include the following:

• Difficulty operating within a child’s best interest framework;
• Fixation on achieving parenting time at all costs;
• Limited emotional availability to the child; and
• Child’s unhappiness with shared parenting arrangements.

McIntosh & Smith (2012) emphasize the importance of strong, pragmatic parenting plans with an emphasis on child-focused arrangements in making decisions about parenting access to the children.

I look forward to your thoughts or questions. Please contact me at nycforensics@gmail.com with questions or comments.

Dr. Alberto Yohananoff
NYC Forensics
dryohananoff@nycforensics.com
P: (646) 284-5600
F: (212) 706-9136

Posted in Conflict Resolution