Article Figures & Data
Tables
Mother Father White ethnicity/race 80 78 Income more than $20,000/year 43 28 At least a high school education 53 46 Mental health treatment(s) 75 60 Psychiatric hospitalization(s) 15 11 Substance use 24 40 Arrests 15 61 Child protective services 34 26 Restraining order(s) 27 70 Data are expressed as percentages of the total study sample (n = 202).
- Table 2
Physical Custody Status (Before Clinic Evaluation) and Custody and Visitation Recommendations Made After Clinical Evaluation
Mother Father Joint Custody before clinic evaluation 66 21 13 Recommended custody after clinic evaluation* 55 (65) 36 (37) 9 Data are expressed as percentages of the total study sample (n = 202).
↵* Percent for which visitation was recommended for the noncustodial parent.
Odds Ratio (95% CI)* Analysis 1: Mother has sole physical custody before the clinic's recommendation Mother has had psychiatric hospitalization(s) 0.24 (0.07–0.79) Mother has a history with family protective services 0.25 (0.10–0.65) Mother has an income less than $20,000 per year 0.28 (0.11–0.70) At least one parent reports communicating with other parent about child 0.4 (0.16–0.98) Both parents characterize their separation and divorce as hostile 3.1 (1.2–7.5) Father has a history of arrests 5.7 (2.23–14.54) Analysis 2: Mother has sole physical custody as recommended by the clinic Father has a high school education or less 0.35 (0.14–0.86) Mother has a history with family protective services 0.35 (0.14–0.87) Mother has past or present substance use 0.37 (0.14–0.98) Both parents characterize their separation and divorce as hostile 2.95 (1.25–6.98) Father has a history of arrests 4.53 (1.88–10.92) Analysis 3: Father has sole physical custody before clinic's recommendation At least one child has had mental health treatment 0.28 (0.09–0.88) Father has a history of arrests 0.31 (0.11–0.92) Mother has an income less than $20,000 per year 8.18 (2.29–29.26) Mother has a history with family protective services 9.82 (2.88–33.42) Analysis 4: Father has sole physical custody as recommended by the clinic At least one child has had mental health treatment 0.36 (0.13–0.98) Father has a history of arrests 0.37 (0.14–0.97) At least one child has a psychiatric diagnosis 3.31 (1.01–10.91) Mother has a history with family protective services 3.46 (1.28–9.34) Analysis 5: Joint physical custody before the clinic's recommendation Mother has a history of mental health treatment 0.12 (0.02–0.76) Father has a history of arrests 0.22 (0.06–0.75) At least one parent reports communication 7.6 (1.67–34.47) Analysis 6: Joint physical custody as recommended by the clinic Father has a history of arrests 0.23 (0.06–0.81) At least one parent reports communication 4.08 (1.01–16.35) Analysis 7: Father has visitation rights as recommended by the clinic Father has income less than $20,000 per year 0.23 (0.06–0.97) Mother has income less than $20,000 per year 3.95 (1.49–10.43) Predictors determined in multivariate logistic regression models of current custody and recommendations for custody and visitation after clinical evaluation (n = 183), except for analysis of paternal visitation rights (n = 124), which was conducted only among families in which the mother had sole custody. Each analysis pertains to a multivariate logistic regression model on the listed outcome variable. Covariates for each regression model included the following 11 covariates: race/ethnicity; income; level of education; any past or present outpatient mental health treatment; any past psychiatric hospitalizations; any past or present substance use; any history of arrest; any history of family protective service involvement; whether both parents characterize their separation and divorce as hostile; whether at least one parent reports communication with the other parent on at least one aspect of their child's or children's functioning; and whether at least one child involved in the custody dispute had had mental health treatment as reported by at least one parent.
↵* Odds ratios are only those significant at the p <.05 level in the logistic regression models.
