HOME IS WHERE THEY HAVE TO LET YOU IN - BELIEFS REGARDING PHYSICAL CUSTODY CHANGES OF CHILDREN FOLLOWING DIVORCE

Nonnative expectations regarding changes in the physical custody of ch ildren following divorce were examined in this study. Two hundred twen ty-two women and 88 men whose names were drawn randomly responded to a vignette about a divorced couple and their 16-year-old son. In respon se to a variety of scenarious, participants indicated whether the chil d should be allowed to change residence. Forced-choice responses, anal yzed using multinomial logistic regression, yielded no significant mai n or interaction effects. Several general themes, however, were eviden t in the open-ended responses: (a) The wishes of the child should prev ail in postdivorce physical custody changes; (b) mothers have a more u nconditional obligation to their children than fathers; (c) men's pare nting skills and abilities are somewhat suspect; and (d) court-appoint ed custody arrangements have little influence on postdivorce physical custody changes. Considering that informal modifications in physical c ustody are common, it is suggested that future research move beyond co urt-ordered settlements to understand better the effects of divorce on children.