La coordination parentale auprès des familles séparées à haut niveau de conflit : perspective de l'enfant et coparentalité

Parenting coordination is a specialized intervention designed for separated parents who are experiencing severe and persistent conflict. Its foremost objective is to protect children by promoting effective parental communication and reducing the level of conflict. Although the practice of this alternative dispute resolution method is increasing rapidly, little research has been done in order to document its impacts on the families targeted. The few empirical studies identified mainly focus on the influence of parenting coordination on relitigation and involvement in the justice system. The ambition of this thesis is to increase the knowledge on the impacts of parenting coordination on children. This thesis comprises four articles, three of which are empirical studies. The first article is a literature review of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods for separated parents, with a focus on ADR processes that specifically address high-conflict dynamics. Many of the pioneering interventions identified in the article, including parenting coordination, are starting to be supported by empirical evidence and show promising results. However, more research will be necessary to increase knowledge on the efficacy of these interventions, most of them being recent initiatives. Articles 2, 3, and 4 were written following a parenting coordination pilot project that took place at the Montreal Superior Courthouse between 2012 and 2014 and include both quantitative and qualitative results. As a part of this innovative pilot project, 10 families experiencing high conflict following separation received free parenting coordination services. The second article focuses on the perspective of children whose family took part in parenting coordination. Results to pre and post measures show interesting tendencies (albeit not statistically significant) indicating a decrease in the intensity of parental conflict following parenting coordination. Interviews with the children were also very informative in identifying factors that contributed to a positive or a negative perception of the parenting coordination process. The voice of the child in parenting coordination, i.e. the involvement of the child in the intervention, is addressed in the third article, combining the perspectives of the parents, the parenting coordinators (PCs) and the children themselves on the topic. The thematic analysis reveals a great majority hold the belief that children should have a say in parenting coordination and should be involved to some degree. The reasoning behind the perspectives of parents, children, and PCs is examined. Finally, the fourth article addresses how parenting coordination may have an impact on the post-separation coparenting style adopted by the parents. Quantitative results show no change in coparenting style between the beginning and end of parenting coordination. However, the qualitative analysis shows subtle but positive change in coparenting that may have an indirect effect on child well-being.

Keyphrases: parenting coordination, high conflict, coparenting, voice of the child, alternative dispute resolution, separation/divorce