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Despite widespread interest in patterns of parenting after separation in Australia, the gaps in our knowledge remain large and fundamental. Most studies, including those overseas, have taken a quantitative tack, measuring the frequency and overall amount of face-to-face contact between children and non-resident parents (mostly fathers). But obviously there is more to parent�child contact than just time. The nature and quality of the interaction are also important � perhaps even more so. Recently there has been a push towards recognising and describing both qualitative and quantitative differences in the many ways that parental sharing of time with children can occur after divorce. This thesis attempts to identify and explore some of these differences by comparing five different patterns of care: (i) 50/50 shared care, (ii) little or no contact, (iii) holiday-only contact, (iv) daytime-only contact, and (v) �standard� contact (thought to occur every-other-weekend and half of each school holidays). A representative snapshot of parent�child contact schedules after separation is presented to provide some of the detail of arrangements within this typology. Two (complementary) types of data are used: qualitative data from a series of focus groups with separated parents, and quantitative data from three large representative samples of separated/divorced parents in Australia. Joining the dots between the various pieces of data, there is much to suggest that family dynamics in tandem with demographic factors temper the form that parent�child contact takes, with different combinations of factors clearly linked to qualitatively different patterns of postseparation parenting. While separating parents need to be encouraged to think more laterally about what arrangements might work best for their children and themselves, the data presented suggest that some parents in Australia are already being very creative and there is much diversity of arrangements. The central argument running through this dissertation is that arrangements that allow children to experience fluid, meaningful time with each parent are critical for children�s and parents� wellbeing. The ideas and data presented here � especially some of the more creative timesharing schedules developed by parents � are likely to be a useful resource for separated parents, and the family law professionals they approach for assistance, to reflect on when developing or refining parenting arrangements after divorce.

Varje dag fattas beslut som kan komma att förändra människors liv. Årligen berörs omkring 50 000 barn av föräldrars separation där cirka 7000 av fallen leder till en vårdnadstvist som löses i tingsrätten. Familjerättens utredning blir ofta avgörande för domstolsbeslutet om vem som tillskrivs vårdnaden över barnet. Följande studie fokuserar på att ur ett deskriptivt beslutsteoretiskt perspektiv finna vilka faktorer som influerar bedömningsprocessen med fokus på könsdiskriminering och presentationsordningseffekt, alltså huruvida ordningen av föräldrarnas utsaga påverkar bedömningen. För att undersöka hur individen blir påverkad i sitt beslutsfattande fick en deltagargrupp med högskolestudenter läsa ett vårdnadstvistfall där modern och faderns utsaga presenteras för att sedan ta ställning till bland annat vilken förälder de ansåg vara mest trovärdig. Resultatet visade ingen signifikant effekt av presentationsordning, men selektiva könseffekter framkom.

This study will investigate the effect of instructional material on constellations of personality functioning measurable by the Rorschach using a sample of parents from the community. Repeated measures ANOVA and qualitative techniques will be used to analyze the data. It is expected that reading online material will result in more defensive Rorschach protocols, but will not affect variables noted in the literature to be important aspects of parenting capacity. The results will be of interest to psychologists concerned about the proliferation of testing material on the Internet and practitioners conducting forensic evaluations. / text

The purpose of the present study was to examine Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and to expand the research based knowledge in the area. PAS entails both psychological processes and legal dimensions as it occurs primarily within the context of custody litigation. False allegations of abuse (FA) are commonly associated with PAS and similarly entail both psychological and legal issues. The research comprised two separate studies. First, interviews with target parents were conducted to attain their unique perceptions and experiences of PAS and on the way their cases were handled within the legal system. Second, a quantitative comparison between PAS and FA was performed to identify any similarities and differences and examine a possible relationship between the two. Results highlighted inherent difficulties for successful joint custody arrangements for PAS families as communication was difficult and litigation was prominent. In spite of well-established parent-child relationships before the divorce, these were negatively impacted with the onset of litigation. Parents and children were negatively impacted from the PAS, including reported mental illness for both. In FA cases the children were found to be significantly younger and from one-child families compared with PAS families. Women were found to more likely be the alienators or accusers of FA. In spite of having the legal authority to deal with the PAS, judges reportedly rarely utilized this power. The limitations of the research are discussed and direction for future study given.

There is little known about mothers who are recovering from addictions who lose custody of their children. This hermeneutic thesis, using Canadian phenomenologist Max van Manen’s method and a combination of both scholarly elements and rich storytelling, explores the lived experience of four women recovering from addictions who have lost custody of their children. Using a dual approach of manual and computer-assisted coding, three themes (each with three sub-themes) emerged from semi-structured interviews. The first theme, betrayal, examines three sources of betrayal for the women. The second theme, soul-ache, describes the spaces that a mother finds herself in upon losing custody of her children. The third and final theme, reclamation, follows the mothers as they learn to live again. The findings of this thesis, situated within disciplinary knowledge, extend current knowledge regarding these mothers. The implications arising from this thesis are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided. / 2011-03

This qualitative study examines alienated parents' perceptions of their own experience of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). The participants were five fathers and one mother. The data were collected via semi-structured, open-ended interview questionnaires. A qualitative analysis of the data was performed for each participant in an attempt to answer the following questions: (1) Are there characteristics (e.g., number of children, number of marriages, etc.) common to alienated families? (2) Are there common themes or issues among the conflicts between couples that contribute to marriage dissolution? (3) From the lost parent's perspective, are there commonalities in the underlying causes of the alienation? (4) Are there common themes in the participants' experience of the alienation process? (5) Given the opportunity what are some things that the lost parents perceive they might do differently? The findings are discussed and the limitations of the present study are given.

This creative thesis is a work of fiction exploring the family dynamics of the Van Der Weerd family, told from the point of view of three main characters: Katie (age 30) and her parents, Donna and Harold. Donna and Harold are about to divorce and their son, Brett is estranged from the entire family, including the young daughter he’s never known. The novel spans a year’s time, with the final chapter moving forward another year. Estrangement, addiction, death, and the custody of a four-year old niece and granddaughter are part of this story. (Preliminary pages only)

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 26, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Michael J. Kelly. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.