All of the papers on this site, produced over the past twenty five years, show the measured benefits of shared parenting to children. This paper, no. 30, shows that children themselves actually prefer joint custody arrangements.
Quotes:
Quotes:
1. "The major findings of the present study are as follows. First, both boys and girls in joint custody arrangements reported experiencing a greater number of self defined, as well as consensually defined, positive experiences within the past three months than did children in maternal custody arrangements."
2. “….children in joint custody reported higher levels of self esteem and had more weekly contact with the parent with whom they did not primarily reside than did children in maternal custody…..”
3. "The present findings then, question the validity of the position taken by critics of joint custody that this arrangement will have a negative impact on the children’s adjustment."
When seen in the context of paper no.6, which raises concerns about the voices of children being properly heard and interpreted in court proceedings concerning them (as is their right under UN and EU Directive) and research paper no 23, showing that fathers are routinely ignored in the same proceedings, it brings to question whether the oft-used phrase of ‘deciding in the child’s interest’ can hold validity when family court judges refuse applications for Joint Custody or Shared Residence.
The authors, in their conclusion, make the following candid recommendation to policymakers:
4. “We need to develop a sound data base that will allow custody decisions to be based on empirical findings rather than on theoretical fancy.”
