USING CHILD DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH TO MAKE APPROPRIATE CUSTODY AND ACCESS DECISIONS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

• Author: Michael E. Lamb,Joan B. Kelly
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.174-1617.2000.tb00577.x
• Date: 01 July 2000
• Published date: 01 July 2000

USING

CHILD DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH

TO

MAKE APPROPRIATE CUSTODY AND ACCESS

DECISIONS FOR

YOUNG

CHILDREN

Joan

B.

Kelly and Michael

E.

Lamb

Decisionsregardingcustody

andaccessaremost oftenmade withoutreferencetotheresearchon

child development, although this literature can be useful in conceptualizing children’s needs

after separation and divorce. Research

on

attachment processes, separation from attachment

fig-

ures, and the roles of mothers

and

fathers in promoting psychosocial adjustment are reviewed in

this article. It concludes

with

a discussion of the implications for young children’s parenting

schedules.

Powerful influences shape decisions about custody and access arrange-

ments when parents are separating

or

divorcing. Regardless of whether par-

ents make their decisions independently

or

rely on therapists, custody evalua-

tors,

or

judges for recommendations and decisions, statutory, historical, and

cultural forces often determine which care arrangements are deemed to be in

the children’s best interests (Kelly,

1994).

Unfortunately, however, decision

makers in family law and mental health fields remain largely ignorant about

several decades of research on child development. Child development

researchers and child custody decision makers rarely cross paths, and most of

the relevant publications intended

for

academic audiences are inaccessible to

casual readers.

In

this

article, we discuss research that directly helps conceptualize cus-

tody and access issues that need to be addressed when parents separate.

Because

so

many questions arise regarding appropriate postseparation

arrangements

for infants and young children, the focus will be on attachment

processes, separation from attachment figures, and the roles of mothers and

fathers in promoting children’s development.

To

facilitate readability, we pri-

marily cite review articles; readers can study the cited articles for references

to the primary literature.

FAMILY AND CONCILIATION

COURTS REVIEW,

Vol.

38

NO.

3,

July

2000

297-31

1

0

2000

Sage

Publications,

Inc.

297