Abstract (eng)
Joint physical custody (JPC) is when the care of the child is alternated between the parents, after separation. It is not the act of separation itself that has the most impact on the child’s life, but the consequences that come with the separation, namely it is the loss of one parent and parental conflict that needs to take highest apprehension.
To examine different living arrangements with respect to their effects, this study surveyed people aged 18 and more with a questionnaire. The participants were young people who grew up in JPC or in single mother/father families. The questionnaire will identify the attachment to both parents, the relationship with new partners of the parents, the sense of justice, contentment with the family situation and own romantic relationships. As a control-group, people of intact families were also consulted.
The results indicate differences between the three groups in attachment to the father but not to the mother. The relationship with new partners of the parents showed differences in the relationship with the new partner of the father. People who grew up in JPC showed a better relationship to them. Furthermore, differences in sense of justice and contentment with the familiar situation were found. Differences in own romantic relationships depended on the question’s focus.
This study is a first attempt of a quantitative inquiry of JPC in Austria. As the differences between JPC and single mother/father families need to be considered, this study can be pioneering for further studies with children of divorced parents.