The disturbed parent-child communication after parental separation and its impact on the child's psychosocial adjustment

Abstract

In the present study we attempted to investigate the relationship between two parameters: (a) the disturbed communication between separated or divorced parents and their children, and (b) the psychosocial adaptation of the children. Moreover, we attempted to understand the impact of legal and judicial orders re child-related issues on the children's psychosocial development.

63 children and their divorced parents were studied in order to investigate the impact of (a) disturbed parent-child communication and (b) increased parental litigation re custody and access, on the child's psychosocial development. Parents and children were administered self-completed questionnaires, while semi-structured interviews were used with children. Measures of psychosocial adjustment included psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM-IV, with emphasis in Global Assessment Functioning in the 5th axis, as well as the Social Adjustment Scale (M. Weissman, 1975) and the Self-Esteem Index for Children (J. Battle, 1981). Results showed that, as for the custodial parent, the better the communication with him the better the child's adjustment and the higher his self esteem, while, as for the non-custodial parent, the more frequent and the better the quality of communication with him, the better the child's adjustment, but not the higher its self-esteem. Finally, contrary to our hypothesis, the more parents litigated the better the child's psychosocial adjustment and the higher its self-esteem. In conclusion, the disturbed parent-child communication after parental divorce constitutes a significant risk factor for poor psychosocial development of the child.