Child Custody in Divorce: How Parents Decide

One of the most important (and frequently most difficult) decisions faced by divorcing parents is determining who will have custody of their children. To investigate parental beliefs about the standards used in deciding custody, 12 sets of parents completed a questionnaire and were interviewed. Results showed considerable agreement with the standards reported by judges in a previous study. Parents were generally in agreement with each other about the criteria that should be used and how those criteria should be applied to their particular situation. The parents emphasized avoiding a court battle over custody and listed the other parent as the person with whom they had discussed custody. The preliminary indications also suggest a tendency for educational workshops and mediation to be rated as more helpful than arbitration and professional evaluation. (Author/JAC)