New Study: Children of divorcees should spend as much time with both parents
According to a recent American study, for the sake of their wellbeing, children whose parents are divorced should spend as much time with their mother as with their father.
For children whose parents have separated, it can be difficult to find the perfect balance when it comes to the child’s upbringing. Most of the time, the mother is left with exclusive custody over the child, while the father is rarely allowed contact.
Yet, according to an American study published in the journal Psychology, Pubic Policy and Laws, relayed by SciencePost, children of divorced spouses who spend as much time with their mother as their father tend to have better relationships which them in the future.
The study & the results
To reach this conclusion, researchers analysed the cases of a hundred students whose parents had separated before the child reached the age of three. They then questioned the parents about the amount of time each had spent from birth until the age of three, from the age of five to the age of ten, and then from the age of ten until fifteen.
At the end of the observation, it was found that children who spent a fair amount of time (including nights) during childhood in their mother’s and father’s homes had a healthier relationship with them today – in particular, when this habit gets adopted before the age of two.
According to William Fabricius, associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona State, fathers that have to take care of their infants during the night, at the bedtime stage, and in the morning, helps them learn their role from the start – that they are fathers with responsibilities. It also helps the father and child learn from each other, thus providing a solid foundation for the future.
How this study affects society’s current view
This study rejects the idea behind previous research that spending a lot of time with the father in early childhood could have a negative impact on the child’s relationship with the mother. “Not only does the time spent with the father in early childhood not affect the mother-child relationship, it also seems to benefit the child’s relationship with both parents,” Fabricius states.
Laura Gabrieli
Photo: Getty Images
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