Ira Daniel Turkat

CHILD VISITATION INTERFERENCE IN DIVORCE

Divorce related child visitation interference is a national problem, affecting six million children. Such interference may be acute or may represent chronic disorders, such as Parental Alienation Syndrome and Divorce Related Malicious Mother Syndrome. In certain cases, visitation interference is accompanied by vicious behaviors toward the noncustodial parent, including violence and violations of law. The present paper describes the problem of child visitation interference, associated clinical syndromes, and attributes of the legal system that perpetuate the problem. Absence of scientific research devalues psychological input to the courtroom. It is hoped that the present paper will contribute to the development of a body of scientific literature in this area. In recent years, the divorce rate has been similar to the rate of new marriages. Approximately one million divorces occur each year in the United States alone. The children involved in marital dissolution are commonly acknowledged as a vulnerable group (Hetherington & Arasteh, 1988). As parents often fight over custody and visitation, the demands placed on these children increase significantly. To aid in the decision regarding custody and visitation, each state has developed guidelines for legal proceedings. Generally, these guidelines reflect the best interest of the child principle (Keane, 1990). It is assumed that frequent visitation with the noncustodial parent is an important right to both parent and offspring (Hodges, 1991). The overwhelming majority of custodial parents are female. Unfortunately, the desire for ongoing and liberal visitation between child and nonresidential parent has frequently not kept pace with actual practices. The Childrens Rights Council (1994) estimates that six million children in the United States have their visitation interfered with by the custodial parents. Two surveys support the range of this problem. Arditti (1992) reports that approximately 50% of divorced fathers relate that their ex-wife has interfered with visitation with their offspring. Similarly, approximately 40% of custodial mothers admit denying their ex-husband visitation in order to punish him (Kressel, 1985). In some cases, visitation interference has been associated with malicious unlawful acts against the father of such children (Turkat, in press). On rare occasions, a parent may actually kidnap the child. The problem of child visitation interference has yet to be adequately addressed in the national media. Relatedly, there is an absence of research on the nature of child visitation interference, its etiology, or treatment. The purpose of the present paper is to raise awareness of the child visitation interference problem among psychologists. The first part of this article will describe some of the common types of child visitation interference situations that exist. The second part of the manuscript will discuss associated difficulties in handling this problem in the legal system.

DIVORCE RELATED MALICIOUS MOTHER SYNDROME

With the increasing commonality of divorce involving children, a pattern of abnormal behavior has emerged that has received little attention. The present paper defines the Divorce Related Malicious Mother Syndrome. Specific nosologic criteria are provided with abundant clinical examples. Given the lack of scientific data available on the disorder, issues of classification, etiology, treatment, and prevention appear ripe for investigation.

Divorce-related malicious parent syndrome

Divorce-Related Malicious Mother Syndrome was described originally by Turkat (1995). When this initial report was published, the disorder had been observed only in females. Recent case material has emerged which suggests that the abnormality may be gender neutral. To facilitate proper scientific investigation, the taxonomic label and diagnostic criteria have been changed accordingly. Divorce-Related Malicious Parent Syndrome is a significant clinical and legal problem, which remains in dire need of pertinent research and analysis.

Custody Battle Burnout

Each year approximately 100,000 custody battles take place in the U.S. These disputes are typically hostile and stressful. Despite the commonality of intrafamilial conflict over legal custody, there is an absence of scientific and professional literature on the psychological nature of participating in custody litigation. The present manuscript describes the phenomenology of the custody battle participant. In so doing, the author identifies a behavioral disturbance unique to the litigation over one’s children: custody battle burnout. A typology of stressors specific to custody litigation is detailed. Criteria for identification of custody battle burnout are delineated. Recommendations for clinical practice and research are provided.

Issues in the relationship between assessment and treatment

Nelsons (1988) paper on the relationship between assessment and treatment is discussed. To aid in this discussion, a description is provided of the sequence of events which unfold in the course of assessment and treatment of the individual clinical case. Divided into five major periods bridged by four units, the sequence of clinical case assessment and treatment reveals complex relations and raises numerous issues. It is noted that scientific evidence to support intervention is restricted to a handful of psychiatric disorders. An additional concern is the lack of attention devoted to case formulation and the questionable reliability and validity of everyday clinical decision-making. On the other hand, specifying, articulating, and testing clinical formulations of cases presenting poorly understood psychopathology may permit clinicians to expedite the growth of scientific knowledge, as demonstrated in other applied fields. It is concluded that the most important goal is the primary prevention of psychopathology and it is argued that the clinician can play a useful role in this endeavor.

Schizotypal, Schizoid, Paranoid, and Avoidant Personality Disorders

Personality disorders are considered highly prevalent in both outpatient and residential settings. In addition, there has been a proliferation of interest in the personality disorders in the past 10 years, primarily as a function of the publication of DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1980). Despite this, the literature remains replete with controversy. For example, there is considerable difficulty with achieving acceptable levels of reliability as a result of overlap in diagnostic criteria across the personality disorder categories. Further, disputes concerning the relationship between Axis I and Axis II disorders of the current diagnostic code are also common.

Invited case transcript the initial clinical hypothesis

The interviewing skills of many behavior therapists are inadequate and several reasons are noted for this. The present manuscript focuses on construction and use of an initial clinical hypothesis. A strategy for generating the initial hypothesis is discussed and illustrated by means of transcripts from an initial interview with a complex clinical case. A method for teaching skills in initial clinical hypothesis generation is presented as well.