Custody And Wellbeing Essay

The study I looked at examines the association between joint physical custody and adolescent wellbeing after a divorce. The researchers used data from the LAGO-project, containing information on 1,570 children with divorced parents. Overall the wellbeing of children in joint physical custody is similar to that of children in other custody arrangements. However, under certain circumstances joint physical custody can become negatively related to child wellbeing. The researchers found support for the moderating effects of parental conflict, quality of the relationship with mother and father, and the presence of a new partner in the parental households.
The study addressed a relative gap in the research literature by studying the association between custody arrangements following parental divorce and adolescent wellbeing under specific conditions. Adolescent wellbeing was measured in terms of life satisfaction and depressive feelings. The researchers have several indications that adolescents in joint physical custody have lower wellbeing under certain circumstances. The research
shows that joint physical custody is less beneficial in case of high parental conflict. Boys and girls in joint physical custody are not better off than their counterparts in mother custody, as both groups mostly report a similar level of wellbeing. The researchers have indications that joint physical custody is worse than mother custody when there is not a good relationship with the father. The results suggest that joint physical custody is only associated with lower adolescent wellbeing in case mother and father have no new partner.
The researchers had many limitations while doing the study.
The first limitation is that there are a small number of children in father custody which is the case with most post-divorce situations. The hypothesis testing was limited to the comparison of children in mother and joint custody. The second limitation was that the researchers did not account for the quality of the relationship with the present stepfamily members. The third limitation was that the information was based on cross-sectional data which means the researchers could not make definitive conclusions between the quality of the parent-child relationship and the type of custody arrangement. Finally, the researchers were limited to the self-reports of adolescents. The children’s reports on parental divorce experience may be less reliable than parent reports, due to factors such as memory bias and social desirability
responding.
The researchers concluded from the results of the study that joint physical custody is not necessarily the best or worst custody arrangement following divorce for adolescent wellbeing, but it can be less beneficial than sole custody under certain conditions. Their research supports the idea of a more case-specific determination of the best custody arrangement, taking into account the positions of the father, the mother, and the child. Family mediators can play an important role in helping to formulate a custody arrangement that is in the best interest of the child and both parents.
I agree completely with the article. A decision like joint custody of a child affects their entire life. I believe each divorce with children should be considered in a case by case basis and not always awarding joint custody of the children. The children are only better off in joint custody when both parents are not constantly in conflict with each other. I always thought that joint custody of the children in a divorce was the best decision possible. The children get to see both their mother and their father and get affection from both parents. I didn’t account for parental conflict which is more damaging than anything to children at an early age.
Divorce rates have risen to a rate that I can’t believe. For every 6.8 marriages, 3.6 of them are getting divorced. Whenever a couple with children decides to get divorced, it affects more than just them. The children involved have to deal with parental conflict, which can cause psychological damage, and in some cases, only the affection of one parent. Sometimes, it’s more beneficial to divorce rather than have the children live in a house that is constantly at odds with each other. One of the ways divorce is likely to affect members of the family, especially children, is that they won’t have a family that provides shared experiences that will shape their behavior. Children who grow up with a single parent are likely to experience behavior problems because of lack of shared interaction in the family.
Growing up in a single parent family home wasn’t so bad. I developed this sense of independence and freedom and I could do whatever I wanted at an early age. My whole house was free for me to roam and explore on my own. I remember having my cousin over when no one was home and going in the backyard and creating this massive open fire with dried leaves and grass with no care in the world. There was nobody to tell me “no” and I was free to make and learn from my own mistakes. I wanted to pick a topic that I could relate to and learn more about. I chose the topic of divorce because I grew up my entire life living in a single parent home with my mother. It helped me better understand a little more about myself.
I believe I was better off with my mother having full custody. I didn’t have to deal with parental conflict growing up. The only conflict I had to deal with was sibling conflict which was almost every day. I don’t think having a relationship with my father would have changed much aside from possibly being a little more disciplined. My friends would always envy the fact that I could basically do whatever I wanted. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen my dad. I know that his name is Miracle and on a rare occasion when all of the conditions are satisfied, I would see him at a family function. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at him straight in the eye. I can’t remember ever actually talking to him either. Just his presence creates this extreme sense of awkwardness that I would rather avoid if at all possible. I don’t think I’m going to try to reconnect with him partly because I only speak conversational Vietnamese but I think it’s mostly because there’s really no foundation to rebuild on.
I chose the symbolic interaction theory because according to the symbolic interaction perspective, relationships are founded on symbolic interaction. People communicate using a shared system of symbolic interaction and all social interaction is symbolic. Marriage, like all human relationships, is made easier by the symbolic interaction that takes place between two people. People that tend to have a strong marriage are people who share similar interpretations of symbols. Spouses in a stable marriage see and understand the world in a compatible way. Part of the reason that people don’t hold marriage to such high regard as they once did, is the symbolic interactionism that represents the sanctity and commitment of marriage has changed.
A symbolic interactionist would examine an issue like divorce from a small scale perspective. They would look for problems within the individuals as opposed to society in general. Symbolic interactionists state that choices are based on learned behavior. From their point of view, and their way of understanding social issues, symbolic interactionists would say that divorce is a result of two individuals that have been influence by their friends and family members.