Impasses to the resolution of custody and visitation disputes.

This paper presents a typology of divorce situations that are highly vulnerable to intense and prolonged disputes over the custody and care of the children. The impasses to settling the conflicts are described and counseling/mediation implications outlined. The approach is based on a preliminary study of 80 divorcing and disputing families of multiethnic and mixed socioeconomic class that, despite mediation in the courts, were still entrenched in disputes.