Search

This study examines the relationship between residence arrangements and depressive and anxiety symptoms from children's perspective and the moderating role of interparental conflict. The sample included 454 children from families recruited from family counselling offices across Norway. Mixed effects regression models assessed the association between four residence groups – symmetric shared, asymmetric shared, extended sole, and limited sole – and children's mental health symptoms. Findings indicate that children in different residence arrangements generally displayed similar levels of mental health symptoms, except those in asymmetric shared residence reported fewer depressive symptoms compared to those in limited sole residence. Higher interparental conflict was associated with increased anxiety symptoms, particularly in symmetric shared residence. These results suggest that shared residence may not always be in the child's best interest when there are high levels of interparental conflict. The study reveals variations within the traditional categorizations of "shared" and "sole" residence, highlighting the importance of nuanced differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Dynamics of Family Conflict (FamC) prospective cohort study was set up to investigate how and why interparental conflicts and family relations develop over time, and in which contexts which types of conflicts and relations are most negative for which children. FamC focuses on the family within a scope spanning macrolevel as well as microlevel processes., Participants: Families were recruited from MoBa (pilot project) and family counselling offices across Norway when parents attended parental counselling, therapy or mandatory mediation in relation to parental relationship dissolution. All families were thus experiencing challenges and/or going through a family transition. Families were eligible for the study if parents had at least one joint child between 0 and 16 years. Both parents and up to five children from the same family could participate. A total of 2871 families were recruited (participation rate wave 1: 78%) and an estimated 55% of parents (based on wave 1 data) were divorced/separated. Additional data were obtained from therapists/mediators at the family counselling offices about the family, and childcare or schoolteachers provided data on the youngest (0-6 years) children., Findings to Date: Results show that interparental conflict patterns vary with family constellation. Interparental conflict severity is inversely related to the discrepancy between child-reported and parent-reported child reactions to interparental conflicts, and child-self-reported reactions are higher relative to parent-reported child reactions. Other findings show that family characteristics (eg, the number and age of children in the family and financial difficulties) are predictive of the type of residence arrangement that parents practice., Future Plans: The cohort is ideally suited for cross-cultural comparisons and further examination of family processes and dynamics including parent repartnering, step-parents and new family members, associations between different family constellations and child adjustment, and fathering, father-child relationship and child adjustment. There are plans for further follow-up data collection., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)