Child custody mediation and litigation: parents' satisfaction and functioning one year after settlement

Area of Science:

• Family Law
• Psychology
• Dispute Resolution

Background:

• Custody disputes significantly impact family dynamics and parental satisfaction.
• Mediation and adversarial litigation are two primary methods for resolving these disputes.
• Understanding long-term parental outcomes is crucial for effective family law practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare parental satisfaction and compliance with child support orders after mediation versus adversarial litigation.
• To assess the psychological adjustment of parents based on their dispute resolution method.
• To examine the longitudinal effects of mediation on parental satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A 1-year follow-up study involving families randomly assigned to mediation or adversarial procedures.
• Data collection at two time points (Time 1 and Time 2) to track changes.
• Statistical analysis to compare satisfaction, compliance, and psychological adjustment between groups.

Main Results:

• Fathers in mediation reported significantly higher satisfaction and compliance with child support orders than those who litigated.
• Mothers who mediated reported lower satisfaction at follow-up compared to those who litigated, potentially due to selective attrition.
• No significant differences in psychological adjustment were found between mediation and litigation groups for either mothers or fathers.

Conclusions:

• Mediation appears beneficial for fathers' satisfaction and compliance in custody disputes.
• The positive effects of mediation for fathers did not extend to mothers' satisfaction.
• Further research is needed to understand the factors influencing mothers' satisfaction in mediation and the impact of selective attrition.