Healy J M, Malley J E, Stewart A J
Rhode Island College, Providence.
Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1990 Oct;60(4):531-43. doi: 10.1037/h0079201.
This two-year longitudinal study of 121 6-12-year-old children in the custody of their mothers following parental separation examined main and interacting effects of child's age and gender, frequency and regularity of visitation, father-child closeness, and parental legal conflict on children's self-esteem and behavioral adjustment at two time points. Predictors were found to have different implications for different groups of children and for children in different situations. Findings suggest the futility of seeking simple answers to whether ongoing contact with fathers following divorce is beneficial or detrimental for children.
