Longitudinal Association Between the Quality of the Separated Parents’ Relationship and the Frequency of Father–Child Contact: The Mothers’ Perspective

Abstract

This longitudinal study is based on family systems theory and aims to explore the association between the quality of the separated parents’ relationship and the frequency of father–child contact up to five years after parental separation. Using data collected from 408 families from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), multilevel analyses and latent growth curve model were carried out. The results highlight a positive association between the separated parents’ relationship and father–child contact and demonstrate the impact of the initial contact frequency on the evolution over time of the separated parents’ relationship. They also highlight the contribution of custody tension, the child’s age, the length of time the couple lived together, and the socio-economic status on the initial levels of the studied trajectories.