ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the impact of custody decisions, parental functioning after divorce, and the relationships among family members. Divorce means that losses are occurring for the adults as well as for the children. Some are embarrassed to admit to family or colleagues that they are divorced. Often parents feel guilt or anger about the possible effects of divorce upon the children. Sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently, divorced parents are likely to have problems meeting all of the responsibilities of healthy parenting. The only way in which mothers and fathers are inherently different is that they are female or male. Both mothers and fathers have involved themselves in socialization, although they have differed in the amount of direct parentchild interaction. Originally, joint custody was preferred because of the expectation that both parents were more likely to remain involved in child rearing, and that this would improve adjustment among offspring, resulting in less re-litigation.
