Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82).

The study conducted, sought to assess the effectiveness of an established divorce education program in reducing parental conflict and increasing cooperative coparenting relationships among former spouses and also to assess the participant satisfaction with the program's format.

In this thesis I deal with the factors that affect the functioning of alternate care for children after the divorce of their parents. In the theoretical part I deal with topics such as family, child development and parenting, marriage, divorce and joint custody. In the practical part I work with specific cases of families that are undergoing alternate care for children and the content of websites whose main theme is an alternate care. The aim of the study was to define the factors that affect the quality of alternate care for children after parental divorce. The partial aim was to categorize websites and nongovernmental organizations presented on the Internet, whose main theme is joint custody, according to their main opinion on the joint custody. To meet these objectives, qualitative research was performed using semi-structured interviews with several families which at the time used joint custody. Further analyzed were selected websites that deals with information about joint custody and the reasons why it is or is not suitable. The results of the work showed that in defined cases there is a correlation between the high number of positive factors that affect the functioning of alternate care, satisfaction with care and alternate subjective feeling that alternate care in this case works. On the other hand,...

The topic of this diploma thesis is the influence of joint custody on school successfulness of a child. In the theoretical part I describe a contemporary family and major functions of the family. I chart the situation of legislation in the Czech Republic, I deal with circumstances how the Czech courts make a decision about commiting children into parental care after a divorce of their parents and whether the number of children being involved in joint custody increases. I am really interested in the fact whether the courts make a decision based on the child needs. Following this part I focus on the definition of school successfulness of children and the behaviour of younger learners. I indicate the factors that could have an influence on school successfulness. In the practical part I present the results of my qualitative research. I explore the influence of joint custody into child school successfulness from the point of view of class teachers. I survey the behaviour of children who live in joint custody after the divorce of parents and I also take an interest into the fact whether the class teacher have noticed any features that could connect these children.

Esta pesquisa se propôs a analisar a experiência de parentalidade vivenciada por casais separados que escolheram a guarda compartilhada como forma de cuidar de seus filhos. A amostragem foi intencional, composta por seis casais, sendo quatro completos (ex-marido e ex-mulher) e dois incompletos (somente um exmarido em um caso e apenas uma ex-mulher em outro), formando um conjunto de dez entrevistados. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas literalmente e submetidas a uma Análise de Conteúdo. Os temas que emergiram foram: como se deu a escolha por este tipo de guarda; como ocorre a parentalidade nesta situação de guarda compartilhada e fatores que favorecem ou dificultam a manutenção dos laços parentais nestas condições. Os resultados mostram que a escolha por este tipo de guarda se deu por orientação do advogado ou de outro operador do Direito; quanto ao modo como a parentalidade vem sendo exercitada na guarda compartilhada, o que se salienta é que, apesar de algumas dificuldades, tais como conciliar as especificidades desse vínculo com o respeito e a preservação da individualidade de cada um dos ex-integrantes do casal, os pais vêm, na maior parte das vezes, conseguindo superar estes desafios, priorizando o melhor interesse dos filhos. As atribuições parentais vêm sendo exercidas de um modo mais igualitário, caracterizando um novo estilo parental; quanto aos fatores que favorecem a manutenção da parentalidade na guarda compartilhada encontramos: priorizar o bem estar dos filhos; saber distinguir a conjugalidade da parentalidade; manter um canal aberto de comunicação para tratar dos interesses deles. Os que dificultam, são: divisão assimétrica das atribuições do cotidiano dos filhos, dificuldade de comunicação entre os pais, propostas educacionais divergentes e a competição entre os ex-cônjuges. / This research had the objective to analyse the experience of parenthood by divorced and separated couples who chose joint custody to take care their children. The sample was intentional and compounded by six couples. Their are four couples (ex-husbands and ex-wives) and two incomplete couples (only one ex-husband and only a woman), as the total of ten people. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and submitted to Content Analyse. The themes were analysed as: how to choose this type of guard; how manage the parental responsabilities in this situation and what factors help or make difficult the maintenance of parental ties. The results showed that the choice by this type of guard was the oriented by a lawyer or other justice agent; regard the exercise of parental responsabilities, althought some difficulties, such as adjust the specificities this tie the respect and preserve the individuality by each member of the couple, the parents, in most cases, obtained sucess and took priority to children interests. The parental attributions were exercising in igualitarian type; the factors that help the parenthood maintenance in shared guard were: to priority the children well-being; to distinguish the conjugal ties to the parental ties; to maintain an open communication channel to deal with the children interests. The factors that difficult the joint custody were: a assimetric division of routine care, inapropriate communication between parents and their educational objectives and competition between them.

This thesis focuses on the topic of parental separation and awarding custody of pre-school and early-school aged children. In the theoretical part the specifics of each developmental stage and also of the mother's and father's role are described. In the following chapter the thesis focuses on the process of parental separation, its phases, causes and its influence on children. Also the most typical phenomenons and risks connected with this complicated situation are mentioned. Not to be forgotten, the legal side of the process is also included. The thesis contains empirical part, in which structured interviews with social workers were led, in order to map current trends, the most serious risks, the possibilities of different forms of custody and the role of psychologists in parental separation in the Czech environment. Key words: parental separation, awarding custody of child, pre-school age, early-school age, sole custody, joint custody

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:08:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_maria_lucia_cavalcanti.pdf: 2081415 bytes, checksum: 2d17a9fe66b442d2ec80a6e3128c2ab4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-12-01 / This research had the objective to analyse the experience of parenthood by divorced and separated couples who chose joint custody to take care their children. The sample was intentional and compounded by six couples. Their are four couples (ex-husbands and ex-wives) and two incomplete couples (only one ex-husband and only a woman), as the total of ten people. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and submitted to Content Analyse. The themes were analysed as: how to choose this type of guard; how manage the parental responsabilities in this situation and what factors help or make difficult the maintenance of parental ties. The results showed that the choice by this type of guard was the oriented by a lawyer or other justice agent; regard the exercise of parental responsabilities, althought some difficulties, such as adjust the specificities this tie the respect and preserve the individuality by each member of the couple, the parents, in most cases, obtained sucess and took priority to children interests. The parental attributions were exercising in igualitarian type; the factors that help the parenthood maintenance in shared guard were: to priority the children well-being; to distinguish the conjugal ties to the parental ties; to maintain an open communication channel to deal with the children interests. The factors that difficult the joint custody were: a assimetric division of routine care, inapropriate communication between parents and their educational objectives and competition between them. / Esta pesquisa se propôs a analisar a experiência de parentalidade vivenciada por casais separados que escolheram a guarda compartilhada como forma de cuidar de seus filhos. A amostragem foi intencional, composta por seis casais, sendo quatro completos (ex-marido e ex-mulher) e dois incompletos (somente um exmarido em um caso e apenas uma ex-mulher em outro), formando um conjunto de dez entrevistados. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas literalmente e submetidas a uma Análise de Conteúdo. Os temas que emergiram foram: como se deu a escolha por este tipo de guarda; como ocorre a parentalidade nesta situação de guarda compartilhada e fatores que favorecem ou dificultam a manutenção dos laços parentais nestas condições. Os resultados mostram que a escolha por este tipo de guarda se deu por orientação do advogado ou de outro operador do Direito; quanto ao modo como a parentalidade vem sendo exercitada na guarda compartilhada, o que se salienta é que, apesar de algumas dificuldades, tais como conciliar as especificidades desse vínculo com o respeito e a preservação da individualidade de cada um dos ex-integrantes do casal, os pais vêm, na maior parte das vezes, conseguindo superar estes desafios, priorizando o melhor interesse dos filhos. As atribuições parentais vêm sendo exercidas de um modo mais igualitário, caracterizando um novo estilo parental; quanto aos fatores que favorecem a manutenção da parentalidade na guarda compartilhada encontramos: priorizar o bem estar dos filhos; saber distinguir a conjugalidade da parentalidade; manter um canal aberto de comunicação para tratar dos interesses deles. Os que dificultam, são: divisão assimétrica das atribuições do cotidiano dos filhos, dificuldade de comunicação entre os pais, propostas educacionais divergentes e a competição entre os ex-cônjuges.

This study focused on the experiences of professionals in drafting and implementing parenting plans with high-conflict separating and divorcing families in the South African context. The primary aim of the study was to explore the participants’ personal and professional experiences through an in-depth and sensitive inquiry. The data was collected from five participants using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of this study indicate that professionals experience various challenges when working with high-conflict separating and divorcing families. The participants also shared their perceptions regarding parenting plans. Further research on the challenges specific to drafting and implementing parenting plans with high-conflict separating and divorcing families in the South African context is recommended / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study focused on the experiences of professionals in drafting and implementing parenting plans with high-conflict separating and divorcing families in the South African context. The primary aim of the study was to explore the participants’ personal and professional experiences through an in-depth and sensitive inquiry. The data was collected from five participants using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The results of this study indicate that professionals experience various challenges when working with high-conflict separating and divorcing families. The participants also shared their perceptions regarding parenting plans. Further research on the challenges specific to drafting and implementing parenting plans with high-conflict separating and divorcing families in the South African context is recommended / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Puisque de plus en plus d’enfants sont exposés à la séparation de leurs parents, plusieurs d’entre eux doivent partager leur temps entre les logements et la supervision de leur mère et leur père. Qu’on nomme cette réalité « garde », « résidence » ou « temps parental », elle complique grandement la description et la mesure des structures familiales dans lesquelles évoluent les enfants. Dans ce contexte, la thèse comporte deux objectifs principaux. Le premier consiste à préciser l’évolution historique des différents concepts légaux et sociologiques en jeu et à montrer comment le flou terminologique entourant la garde entraîne des problèmes lors de la mesure des arrangements résidentiels des enfants. Pour exposer la problématique, je tente de déterminer la prévalence de la double résidence égalitaire en faisant une évaluation critique des sources de données disponibles au Québec et au Canada. En fin de compte, en raison des lacunes de ces diverses sources et de leurs résultats parfois divergents, il s’avère pratiquement impossible de répondre à la question : « Combien d’enfants vivent en garde partagée (ou en double résidence) ? ». Le second objectif, qui occupe la majeure partie de la thèse, vise à illustrer le caractère dynamique des arrangements de temps parental, un aspect souvent ignoré dans la littérature scientifique. À partir des données des treize premiers passages de l’Étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec (ÉLDEQ) (n=2120), je distingue quatre arrangements de temps parental postséparation : 1) la résidence maternelle (avec peu ou pas de contacts père-enfant) ; 2) la résidence maternelle (avec contacts père-enfant réguliers) ; 3) la double résidence ; 4) la résidence paternelle. En ordonnant les informations disponibles à différents points dans le temps pour un même enfant, j’ai pu reconstituer des trajectoires de temps parental complètes. Les analyses réalisées sur ces trajectoires sont rapportées dans deux articles. Je m’intéresse, dans le premier article, aux caractéristiques familiales liées à l’établissement d’un arrangement donné au moment de la séparation ainsi qu’à la durée de cet arrangement. J’y montre par exemple que la part du temps parental assumée par le père au moment de la séparation est positivement associée au niveau de scolarité des parents, au travail à temps plein des mères et au sentiment de plaisir parental des pères. On y constate aussi que les arrangements initiaux ne sont pas tous aussi durables les uns que les autres. Même si les facteurs associés à cette durée sont plus difficiles à discerner, le niveau de scolarité des parents semble être important dans le processus. Dans le second article, je construis des tables de survie multiétats afin de résumer les trajectoires de temps parental de la perspective d’un enfant « moyen ». Je cherche entre autres à déterminer combien de temps les enfants passent dans chacun des quatre arrangements définis plus tôt et à identifier les facteurs sociodémographiques associés à cette répartition. J’y conclus que le temps passé en double résidence par un enfant moyen est faible, mais qu’il augmente avec le niveau de scolarité des deux parents. La double résidence est cependant une composante centrale de la paternité postrupture. Malgré une grande fluidité dans les trajectoires de temps parental, l’arrangement établi au moment de la séparation demeure un bon prédicteur de l’expérience parentale ultérieure. Les enfants initialement en double résidence, par exemple, perdent rarement contact avec leur père au cours des cinq années qui suivent la séparation, et ce, même si plusieurs d’entre eux finiront par habiter principalement avec leur mère. / As more children are exposed to the separation of their parents, many of them have to share their time between the homes and the supervision of their mother and father. Whether this reality is referred to as “custody”, “residence” or “parenting time”, it greatly complicates the description and measurement of the family structures in which children evolve. In this context, the thesis has two main objectives. The first is to clarify the historical evolution of the various legal and sociological concepts involved and to show how the terminological confusion surrounding child custody raises problems when trying to measure children’s living arrangements. In particular, I try to determine the prevalence of egalitarian dual residence by critically assessing the various data sources available in Quebec and Canada. In the end, because of the shortcomings of these various sources and their sometimes divergent results, it is virtually impossible to answer the question: “How many children live in shared physical custody (or dual residence) ?” The second objective, which comprises most of the thesis, aims to illustrate the dynamic nature of parenting-time arrangements, an element often overlooked in the scientific literature. With data from the first thirteen waves of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) (n = 2120), I distinguish four postseparation parenting-time arrangements: 1) mother residence (with little or no father-child contact); 2) mother residence (with regular father-child contact); 3) dual residence; 4) father residence. By ordering the information available at different time points for each child, I was able to reconstruct complete parenting-time trajectories. The analyzes carried out on these trajectories are reported in two articles. In the first article, I look at family characteristics related to the establishment of specific arrangements at separation and at the duration of this arrangement. For instance, I show that the share of parenting time assumed by fathers following separation is positively associated with parents’ education level, mothers’ full-time employment and father’s feeling of parental enjoyment. The article also shows that initial arrangements are not all as durable as each other. Although the factors associated with this duration are difficult to identify, the parents’ level of education appears to be play an important role. In the last article, I build multistate life tables in order to summarize parenting-time trajectories from the perspective of an average child. I try to determine, inter alia, how much time children spend in each of the four arrangements defined earlier and what sociodemographic factors are associated with this distribution of time. I show that time spent in dual residence by an average child is low, but that it increases with the education level of both parents. Dual residence is, however, a central component of postseparation fatherhood. Despite great fluidity in parenting-time trajectories, arrangements established at separation remain good predictors of the subsequent parenting experience. Children initially in dual residence, for instance, seldom lose contact with their father during the first five years following separation even if many of them eventually end up living mainly with their mother.