The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including with new information specifically addressed to individuals in the European Economic Area. As described in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences.

Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.

×
No Access

Effects of divorce on the visiting father-child relationship

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.137.12.1534

Findings from a 5-year longitudinal study of 131 children from 60 divorcing families, drawn from a predominantly white, middle-class California population, revealed unexpected changes in the relationship between the visiting parent and the child after the marital separation. The changes that showed improvement and that showed deterioration in 50% of the father-child relationships were substantially related to the difficulties and psychological conflicts engendered by visitation and divorce, the father's capacity to accommodate to the constraints of the visiting relationship, and the age and sex of the child.

Access content

To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.