Study Finds Shared Parenting Better for Kids

Utah residents may find a recent study about the well-being of children in different custody arrangements after their parents have divorced interesting. The study was published on April 27th in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, and its results suggest that children who spend time living with both of their estranged parents do better than those who live primarily with only one.

The researchers looked at whether children who spent time with both parents were more stressed than those who lived primarily with one parent and saw the other one less frequently. The common idea has been that alternating between two homes is more stressful to children. The researchers found that to be untrue, instead finding that children who were in shared parenting arrangements have less stress than those who primarily reside with only one parent.

The researchers posited that having frequent contact with both parents is important for stress management. They believe that the children’s access to more resources in the two separate homes helps as well. Although shared parenting orders are becoming more common in the United States, they are still relatively rare, only occurring in about 20 percent of all child custody cases. The research indicates that people may want to consider shared parenting in their cases as it may be more beneficial to their children.

In every child custody case, the best interests of the child is the predominant concern. If the child’s parents live near enough to one another, they may want to consider shared parenting as an option for them. Of course, if there have been issues of domestic violence, shared parenting is not a good idea. People who are involved in a child custody case may benefit by seeking the assistance of a family law attorney in negotiating an agreement that most benefits the child.