Joint Physical Custody and Family Physical and Emotional Health

Background: Joint physical custody, where children spend approximately equal time living with each parent after separation or divorce, has become increasingly popular in recent years. The impact of joint physical custody on children's physical and emotional health, however, remains a controversial topic in the literature. Some work suggests joint physical custody is associated with better physical and emotional health outcomes for children compared to sole physical custody. Specifically, children in joint physical custody arrangements may have fewer psychological and behavioral problems, higher self-esteem, and better academic achievement. Furthermore, joint physical custody is found to be protective against parental alienation, which can have detrimental effects on children's emotional health. In contrast, the literature also suggests that joint physical custody may not be appropriate in all cases, particularly when there is high conflict between parents or when one parent is unfit or unable to provide adequate care for the child. Moreover, joint physical custody may not be feasible or desirable for all families due to logistical or financial constraints. While this work is a start, most studies have focused on families with relatively high socioeconomic status, which may limit the generalizability of findings to other populations. Furthermore, the literature has also been criticized for its failure to account for the potential negative effects of frequent transitions between households on children's well-being. Research has highlighted the importance of stability and routine for children's development, and joint physical custody arrangements may disrupt these critical factors, leading to increased stress and anxiety for some children. With mixed findings offered by past literature and the noted limitations, work is need that broadens the scope of the literature to include contemporary socioeconomically disadvantaged families and that accounts for children’s transitions between households to disentangle the relationship between physical custody and physical and emotional health. This study seeks to fill this gap in the literature.

Methods: The present study draws from a survey of divorced parents fielded in Wisconsin. Wisconsin participants were drawn from two cohorts of Wisconsin Court Record Data (WCRD) and administered the Wisconsin Parents Survey approximately 7 to 8 or 10 to 11 years following divorce. The final study sample consisted of 322 mothers with sole physical custody, 434 mothers with SP, and 434 fathers with SP at final judgment.

Results: Preliminary findings suggest there is no significant link between joint physical custody and emotional health for parents or children. We do find, however, mothers with joint physical custody (relative to mothers with sole custody) are significantly more likely to report other parents associated with them and their children are physically healthy.

Discussion and Implications: Overall, this paper suggests a significant link between joint physical custody and physical health and highlights the potential benefits of joint physical custody arrangements for children's physical and emotional well-being. Future research should continue to examine the mechanisms underlying the association between joint physical custody and children's health outcomes, as well as explore the factors that contribute to successful co-parenting in joint physical custody arrangements.