Commentators opposed to shared parenting and overnights for infants and toddlers post-divorce have been relying on misleading interpretations of very flawed research such as the widely publicised preschooler study by Latrobe University/Family Transitions researcher Dr. Jennifer McIntosh to argue that young children need to spend most of their time and every night in the care of one “primary” parent. (Nielsen 2014) Properly disciplined research has safeguards built in to protect it from the prejudices of the researchers. This is not the case with the research by Jennifer McIntosh and colleagues. (Lamb 2012; Nielsen 2014; Warshak 2014) Lawmakers and courts often take this research that forms the picture of society on which government policy is based, not to mention the general public, as being simply objective truth. In order to clarify where social science stands on the overnights and shared parenting for infants and toddlers issue, a February, 2014 paper by Dr. Richard Warshak, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, published in the prestigious American Psychological Association’s peer-review journal, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, with the endorsement of 110 of the worlds top authorities from 15 countries in attachment, early child development, and divorce, concludes that in normal circumstances, overnights and shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children. Unlike the highly flawed McIntosh research this study shed much needed light on what is best for infants and toddlers whose parents live apart and its importance cannot be overstated. The calibre of the 110 distinguished scholars is exceptional and their names and affiliations are listed in the Appendix of the paper. The eminent signatories include Judith Cashmore, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Sydney Law School, Professor Don Edgar, Ph.D., Foundation Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies and Barry Nurcombe, M.D., Emeritus Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Queensland. The consensus report ends with a number of recommendations. Of particular note: “We recognize that many factors such as cultural norms and political considerations affect the type of custody policy that society deems as desirable. To the extent that policy and custody decisions seek to express scientific knowledge about child development, the analyses in this article should receive significant weight by legislators and decision makers.” “1. Just as we encourage parents in intact families to share care of their children, we believe that the social science evidence on the development of healthy parent– child relationships, and the long-term benefits of healthy parent–child relationships, supports the view that shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children. “ “3. In general the results of the studies reviewed in this document are favorable to parenting plans that more evenly balance young children’s time between two homes. …Thus, to maximize children’s chances of having a good and secure relationship with each parent, we encourage both parents to maximize the time they spend with their children.” “4. Research on children’s overnights with fathers favors allowing children under four to be cared for at night by each parent rather than spending every night in the same home.” “6. There is no evidence to support postponing the introduction of regular and frequent involvement, including overnights, of both parents with their babies and toddlers.” In the context of the national family law conversation this study (and the two additional cited references) is a must read for lawmakers, social science professionals, family law lawyers and the family court judiciary. References Warshak, R. A (2014) Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Vol. 20, No. 1, 46–67 Nielsen, L. (2014) Woozles: Their Role in Custody Law Reform, Parenting Plans, and Family Court. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. (10 February 2014 advance online publication). dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000004 Lamb, M. E. (2012), A Wasted Opportunity to Engage with the Literature on the Implications of Attachment Research for Family Court Professionals. Family Court Review, 50: 481–485
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:31:28 +0000
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