A FOLLOW-UP OF FAMILIES DISPUTING CHILD-CUSTODY ACCESS - ASSESSMENT, SETTLEMENT, AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIP OUTCOMES

In this pilot study, 49 parents who had been involved in a custody and /or acess assessment several years previously responded to a structure d telephone survey. Information about eventual settlement processes, c ustody and access arrangements, satisfaction with the clinical assessm ent, children's adjustment, family relationships, and ongoing family p roblems was gathered an average of two and one half years after the as sessment. Sole custody arrangements evidenced the greatest degree of s tability from assessments to follow-up, while joint custody arrangemen ts were more unstable. Visitation was not occurring for a substantial number of children (35%) at follow-up, even when it was recommended on a regular and frequent basis. Although parents reported little or no ongoing contact with their expouse, they also reported continuing conc erns and new problems with respect to the other parent or their childr en. The impact of this form of ''parallel parenting'' is discussed wit hin the context of high-conflict, multiproblem families.