Post-Separation Physical Custody Arrangements in Germany: Examining Sociodemographic Correlates, Family Dynamics and Child Adjustment

• In Event: Fathers‘ involvement in nuclear and separated families: Implications for parenting arrangements

Abstract

Changing legal conditions, gender ideologies, and parental practices across Europe led to a higher share of parents practicing shared physical custody (SPC) upon separation, in part because this post-separation custody arrangement seems best suited to allow for more equally shared parental roles and children’s equal access to both parents. However, prior studies documented that, in countries with little institutional support for SPC, families practicing SPC were a highly selective group in terms of being more affluent and less conflict-ridden. In countries where SPC prioritized, either as default or as priority custody arrangement (e.g., many of the Nordic countries), the share of SPC increased, and consequently, profiles of SPC families became less selective. So far, no clearly defined legal pathways toward SPC exists in Germany and there is only sparse information on who practices SPC and on the family dynamics of SPC families compared to families with other custody arrangements (i.e., sole physical custody and visitation rights only).
Profiling the German case, we sought to examine the prevalence of SPC families, sociodemographic correlates of SPC, and their associations with family dynamics and child adjustment. Sociodemographic factors we considered were, among others, parents’ educational attainment and occupational status, the material deprivation of the household, children’s age, and the distance between parental households. Family dynamics included post-separation co-parenting styles and the level of conflict between former partners. Child adjustment comprised behavior problems measured via the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).We expected SPC parents to have higher levels of education and occupational status, lower levels of material deprivation and shorter distances between the parental homes. We further anticipated SPC parents to report more cooperative co-parenting styles with their former partner, as well as less conflict and fewer behavior problems of the child compared to parents with other custody arrangements.
Data for our study stemmed from the most recent installment of the representative survey “Growing up in Germany,” which was collected in 2019 and covered a wide range of topics for different age groups, such as indicators of psychological adjustment, and from different perspectives (e.g., child vs. parent report). The sample for our analyses comprised 1,095 children (below age 18) with separated parents in 745 households. Measured by children’s overnight stays with each parent, about 7 % of these children lived in a SPC arrangement (up to 70:30% of time with either parent). As expected, SPC was more likely if maternal and paternal residence were in close proximity, and if the mother had higher levels of education. SPC parents were also likely to report having a positive cooperative (co-parenting) relationship, while levels of conflict between parents and child adjustment did not differ significantly between custody arrangements. Results will be discussed in light of implications for policy and practice, as well as issues related to self-selection into different custody arrangements.

Authors

• Claudia Recksiedler, German Youth Insitute
  Presenting Author

• Alexandra N. Langmeyer, German Youth Institute
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christine Entleitner-Phelps, German Youth Institute
  Non-Presenting Author