Pr. Amato et Sj. Rezac, CONTACT WITH NONRESIDENT PARENTS, INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT, AND CHILDRENS BEHAVIOR, Journal of family issues, 15(2), 1994, pp. 191-207
Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results about the implicati
ons of contact with nonresidential parents for children in single-pare
nt households. This study tested the hypothesis that children's contac
t with nonresident parents decreases children's behavior problems when
interparental conflict is low but increases children's behavior probl
ems when interparental conflict is high. Data were analyzed from 1,285
children in single-parent families from the National Survey of Famili
es and Households. The hypothesis was supported among boys from divorc
ed families. No support for the hypothesis was found among girls, rega
rdless of family background.