Sylvie Drapeau

Child Adjustment in Joint Physical Custody Versus Sole Custody: A Meta-Analytic Review

ABSTRACT A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the adjustment of children in joint and sole custody. The studies included here defined joint custody as a proportion of time spent by children in each home ranging from a one-third time division (70%/30%) to an equal share (50%/50%). The overall results of the 19 selected studies revealed better outcomes for children in joint custody, with a weak effect size (d = .109). Moreover, this association was moderated by the amount of time that children spent with their 2 parents. Other moderation analyses conducted on the methodological characteristics of the studies and the characteristics of the samples were not significant. The descriptive data drawn from this meta-analysis were used to identify the studies’ limitations. Recommendations for future research in the area are discussed.

The psychological adjustment of children from separated families: The role of selected social support variables

This study investigates the impact of social support on childrens psychological adjustment following the divorce of their parents. Seventy-one (71) children from separated families and 120 children from intact families participated in the study. Data were collected twice. Children from separated families listed support networks of lower density with more sitters and teachers contributing both to emotional support and to negative interactions. Social support variables contribute more in predicting the psychological status of children from separated families than of children from intact families. Insufficient income, dissatisfaction with family life, lower density of the support network and higher ratio of negative interactions are predictive of children behavior problems.

Post-Separation Conflict Trajectories: A Longitudinal Study

Although previous studies have shown that parental separation and parental conflict contribute independently to the adaptation difficulties of young people, there is, as of yet, no precise portrait of how post-separation conflicts evolve. Indeed, some fundamental questions remain unanswered: (1) Do parents who experience few conflicts during their break-up continue to enjoy a harmonious relationship afterward? (2) When parents have a conflictual relationship in the first years after separating, do problems eventually subside? (3) Are a familys characteristics associated with the way a post-separation conflict evolves? The present, exploratory study attempts to provide some answers to these three questions. The sample was composed of 123 boys and girls from 8 to 11 years old. The children and their parents were interviewed on two separate occasions at a 1-year interval. The first interview (time 1) took place 2.5 years after the separation on average. The children were notably asked to give their perception of the parental conflict. Four post-separation conflict trajectories were brought to light. Analysis also targeted three more-specific variables that distinguished these conflict trajectories, namely family income, quality of the relationship with the mother, and the degree of agreement at the time of separation.

Relations between postdivorce custody arrangements, family contexts, and children’s adjustment

ABSTRACT The goal of the present study was to shed light on the relation between postseparation custody arrangements and family contexts in which school-age children (8–12 years old) live so as to better understand the processes underlying their adjustment. The sample was composed of 112 dyads (parents and children) from families in joint custody (n = 37) or maternal custody (n = 75). The dyads were met with twice at a 1-year interval. Compared with those in joint custody, the respondents with sole custody had a negative opinion of the transitions between homes and had the impression that the children were more involved in interparental conflicts. This analysis showed that the difficult nature of transitions between homes was a crucial mediating variable in the relation between conflicts and the children’s adjustment, but that other variables, such as the relational problems with the mother, played a role, particularly in joint custody situations.

The Role of Media in Reporting Child Abuse

ABSTRACT This study looks at the short-term impact that the media coverage of children in need of protection had on the number of cases reported to child protection agencies. The number of reports (N = 11,646) made to these agencies in Canada was tallied each week during a 24-month period. During the same period, a content analysis of print media was conducted regarding child maltreatment and/or child protection services (CPS) to identify and count the number of articles published (N = 1,211) and single out media frenzy events. Results show a statistically significant relationship between media coverage and the number of cases reported to child protection agencies.

Stepfamily Break-Up: A Qualitative Analysis of Trajectories and Processes

ABSTRACT Stepfamilies are considered to be less stable than first unions. There has been little research conducted that explains why stepfamilies break up or what the viewpoint of the parents and stepparents is. This qualitative study, which was based on life course theory, analyzed the statements made during an interview of 26 parents and stepparents who separated in the first 5 years of their relationship. The results showed that the underlying elements of the separation could be understood by way of past experiences, models, and values acquired during childhood and in previous conjugal relationships. During the stepfamily period, significant events and differences in the partner’s life stages pushed their trajectory from one of stepfamily creation to separation. An analysis of the mechanisms that were set in motion after these events revealed the processes to be integrated in the prevention of conjugal and family difficulties.

Changement dans l’utilisation des conduites parentales psychologiquement violentes à la préadolescence

La presente etude vise a identifier les facteurs associes a un changement dans la frequence des conduites parentales psychologiquement violentes (CPPV) envers les preadolescents. L’echantillon compte 143 dyades parent-enfant rencontrees a deux reprises. Les parents ont complete un questionnaire portant sur les comportements agressifs de leur enfant, tandis que les jeunes ont rempli un questionnaire sur les conflits parentaux et sur la frequence des CPPV. Les resultats montrent que la probabilite qu’il y ait une augmentation des CPPV sur un an est accrue de plus de trois fois dans les familles separees, comparativement aux familles biparentales intactes. De plus, l’augmentation des conflits parentaux contribue a predire l’augmentation des CPPV.