No two families are the same so, as a result, life post-divorce or separation can look vastly different from family to family. For parents in New York and elsewhere, this is likely a challenging and emotional time. This is often why child custody disputes arise. However, when parents can work through the conflicts and focus just on the child or children, it is possible to develop the best working arrangement for their situation.
Based on current research, it was found that children in a joint custody arrangement are likely to be less stressed when compared to those living with just one parent. The study focused on the stress levels children experienced who live full time with one parent and compared their stress levels to children in a shared custody situation. The finding that children in a shared parenting arrangement experience less stress holds true regardless of the level of conflict between parents or between a parent and a child.
Researchers believe that when a child lives with just one parent that child loses out on certain resources, like relatives, friends and money. Additionally, a child is not regularly seeing a parent, making the child worry about visiting that parent. That can induce stress. When a child spends an equal or nearly equal amount of time with both parents, they are less likely to worry about transitioning to the other house.
While there are benefits to shared parenting, it is important to note that this is not always the best situation for everyone. When conflict persists long after parents part ways, this can make co-parenting a real challenge. Even more so, there are some matters when full custody is more appropriate, such as when the safety and well-being of the child are at issue. It is important to consider all of the factors involved in your situation, which could help in meeting and protecting the best interests of a child.