Thesis (doctoral)--Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1891. / Includes bibliographical references.

In recent years the issue of children’s contact with non-resident parents has been increasingly debated. The policy gaze has focused on contested contact when there are allegations of domestic abuse. Some commentators argue that in circumstances of domestic abuse, contact with an abusive father may not be in the ‘best interests’ of the child. To support these claims they point to evidence that domestic abuse adversely affects children, and domestic abuse often continues following separation. Children’s views of contact in circumstances of domestic abuse remain underresearched, as such their views on this issue have been missing from policy debates. The research aims to uncover how children view and experience contact with nonresident fathers when in the context of domestic abuse. A qualitative methodology was developed for the research. In-depth interviews were carried out with both children and their mothers. The findings confirm that conceptualisations of domestic abuse that focus on discrete acts or incidents of violence do not correspond with children’s and mother’s accounts of abuse. Domestic abuse was a constant in the lives of children and mothers. Children were exposed to domestic abuse before and following parental separation. The research uncovers the complex negotiations children make when family relationships are characterised by abuse. Children identified domestic abuse as a core issue when forming views about contact with their fathers. They tried to make sense of and developed their own analysis of their fathers’ abuse and strategies to cope with it. Children also highlighted a range of issues beyond domestic abuse that influenced their views about contact. The role children should have in disputes about contact in is contested. Children may be considered incompetent to form a view or their views are constructed as a product of parental manipulation. The research provides insights into children’s experiences of participating in contact disputes. It points to limitations in current Scottish legal mechanisms that are designed to take children’s views into account and questions the respect afforded to children’s participation in disputes. The thesis concludes by highlighting the theoretical, policy and practice implications that result from this research.

This study investigated efficacy of an online, preventive intervention program, Children of Divorce-Coping with Divorce (CoD-CoD; Boring, 2011). It extends previous findings to a sample of eight youth from high-conflict families who recently initiated legal divorce proceedings. CoD-CoD is a cognitive-behavioral intervention that targets coping efficacy, coping strategies, and divorce-related cognitive appraisals. A multiple-baseline single case experimental design evaluated change in daily use of active and avoidant coping strategies and corresponding coping efficacy ratings. Individual patterns of change were inspected for the program’s putative mediator variables and overall mental health functioning. Results indicate that daily coping efficacy ratings increased for four participants and decreased for the three participants who reported the highest levels of exposure to interparental conflict. The majority of participants increased use of at least one type of active coping strategy and half decreased use of at least one type of avoidant coping strategy. There were no observed patterns of systematic change in divorce-related cognitive appraisals and changes in mental health functioning were mixed. An exploratory analysis found that youth were classified as "high-risk" on a psychometrically-sound risk index in 100% of cases with documentation of two or more conflict-indicative legal events in the family court file. The study findings are consistent with previous evidence of a moderated program effect on coping efficacy, although positive effects on youth-reported mental health functioning were not replicated. Findings are discussed within the context of a high-conflict sample with temporal proximity to the legal divorce and in light of study limitations. Research directions toward effectively connecting at-risk youth with evidence-based prevention services are detailed.

I föreliggande studie undersöktes om Fortsatt föräldraskap efter separation - Föräldrakurs med fokus på barnet är till nytta för deltagarna i deras föräldraskap och i så fall på vilket sätt. I studien användes en kombination av kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder i form av för- och eftermätning, avslutande enkät samt sex djupintervjuer. Undersökningsgruppen bestod av 14 deltagare, 12 kvinnor och 2 män, från två genomförda grupper. Det huvudsakliga resultatet visade att kursen varit till nytta för deltagarna och att de varit nöjda med kursens form och upplägg. Positiva effekter gick att utläsa gällande relationen mellan deltagarna och deras barn samt att de fått ökad kunskap och verktyg för hur de på bra sätt kan samarbeta med barnets andra förälder. Trots att det i föreliggande studie fanns mer att önska när det gäller effektmätning på såväl kort som lång sikt menar författarna att resultatet tyder på att positiva förändringar skett utifrån deltagande i föräldrakursen. / The present study investigated whether or not the program Continued Parenting After Separation – A parental program with a focus on the child is beneficial for the participants in their parenting and if so, in what way. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in the form of pre- and post-measurement, concluding questionnaire and six in-depth interviews. The reference group consisted of 14 participants, 12 women and 2 men, from two completed programs. The main result showed that the program has been of benefit to the participants and that they have been satisfied with the form and structure of the program. Positive effects could be seen when it came to the relationship with their children. They also reported that they gained increased knowledge and tools for how to cooperate well with the child's other parent. Although greater measurements of the short and long term outcome was desired, the authors conclude that result suggest that positive effect has been achieved through taking part in the program.