 rather than quantity, that appears important.
A major strength of British studies concerned with the welfare of children whose parents separate has been the use of large-scale longitudinal cohort studies to analyse long-term outcomes. This provides a firm basis for further research. Future studies should, however, avoid the tendency to treat parental separation as if it were an event, rather than a process where circumstances before, during and after can exert a critical influence on some children.
Another current area of weakness is the shortage of studies concerned with the more immediate impact of separation and the role of underlying factors, such as family conflict. Greater understanding of the way that short-term distress relates to longer-term outcomes is essential.
There is also a lack of research into the part that family support initiatives and other interventions might play in reducing the risks of adversity for children whose parents separate.
More needs to be learned about the extent of multiple family transitions and their impact on children.
Policy and practice implications
Although there are deficiencies in current knowledge about children and parental separation, it would be unreasonable to delay improvements to the support offered to families until the research gaps (see box above) have been filled. A number of policy and practice implications can be drawn, with caution, from the existing research findings:
- Some children and parents need professional support at the time of separation. Help for parents in dealing with their distress will assist them in supporting their children through the transition from one household structure to another. The availability of support services should be made known to parents going through separation.
- Support cannot be provided by specialist services alone. Parents are most likely to seek advice from GPs, teachers and family lawyers, who are often ill-equipped to help. Information and training for these groups may enable them to deal with families who do not require or wish for specialist help.
- Information for parents can also be helpful. It is important to allay the worries of many parents that separation itself can have a damaging and permanent effect on their children. It is equally important to convey the message that present and future factors, such as family conflict, could have detrimental effects. Parents should be encouraged to minimise the involvement of children in their disputes.
- There are likely to be benefits from enabling children to maintain contact with both their parents. Aside from circumstances where it is necessary to protect children from family violence or abuse, support services should facilitate the continuing involvement of non-custodial parents in their children's lives.
- Acknowledgement of diverse family forms by policy makers and support groups is vital if families are to be helped to function in ways that are best for the health and well-being of their individual members. Support may be just as important at times of forming step-families as it is following separation.
About the study
This study reviewed the findings of about 200 research reports from overseas and the UK, but concentrating on the latter, and covered research over several decades.