ABSTRACT
Children and families where separation or divorce has occurred may be referred for psychological consultation when help is required with the management of separation-related adjustment difficulties or where expert advice on child custody arrangements following separation is needed. An example of a case referred for post-separation adjustment problems is presented in Box 23.1. This chapter describes guidelines for dealing with these types of referrals and custody evaluations, following a cursory account of some of the more clinically relevant findings concerning the psychology of family separation. First, relevant epidemiological issues will be discussed. Factors which contribute to divorce are then outlined. This is followed by a discussion of the demographic correlates of divorce and the impact of divorce on parental well-being. Factors that mediate parental adjustment to divorce are then considered and the immediate impact of divorce on parenting is outlined. The short-, medium-and long-term effects of divorce on children and the important personal and contextual factors that mediate these effects are then described. A developmental model of family transformation following separation and re-marriage is then given. A discussion of the characteristics of step-families and children’s adjustment following re-marriage is outlined before guidelines for assessment and treatment of children’s post-divorce adjustment difficulties are presented. After considering the central features of child custody evaluations, the chapter closes with a brief discussion of mediation.
