Improving the Quality of Parent-Child Contact in Separating Families with Infants and Young Children: Empirical Research Foundations

Abstract

Social scientists in general, and psychologists in particular, largely agree that parent-child relationships play a crucial role in shaping children’s development and adjustment. As a result, considerable efforts have been made to examine the developmental course of these relationships, the features ensuring that some relationships have more positive effects on children’s development than others, and the effects of parent-child separations and relationship disruptions on children’s subsequent adjustment. In this paper, we briefly summarize the relevant empirical literature, citing the secondary rather than primary literature for the most part in order to minimize the length and density of the text. We first discuss the development of infant- and childparent relationships, and the factors that affect the strength and quality of these relationships. We then turn to research concerned with the effects of divorce on children, with special focus on the ways in which harmful effects can often be minimized by promoting the maintenance of children’s relationships with both of their divorcing parents. We have discussed many of these issues in some detail elsewhere (.e.g., Kelly, 2005, 2007; Kelly & Emery, 2003; Kelly & Lamb, 2000, 2003; Lamb, 2002a, 2002b, in press; Lamb & Lewis, 2005; Trinder & Lamb, 2005) but this chapter provides our most up-to-date statement. Our goal is to provide those professionals conducting custody evaluations or assessments with an underlying empirical foundation for understanding and weighing the many complex issues seen in separating families, including those in which parents are disputing custody and access arrangements. Knowledge of the social science literature also provides evaluators and other professionals with a sound basis for formulating and defending recommendations regarding children’s living arrangements to the court if such recommendations are expected or requested (Kelly & Johnston, 2005).

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