The sample of plans was drawn from eight counties selected to reflect the social and economic diversity of Washington State. Among first plans, three-quarters of primary residential parents were mothers. Nearly one in every five plans has no specified residential schedule, leaving it to be agreed between parents or between the parents and the child. Over 100 peer-reviewed articles and monographs were reviewed. A bibliography and direct quotes from leading experts are appended to the review.
Parental conflict is a major source of reduced well-being among children of divorce.
Increased nonresidential parents' involvement in their children's lives may enhance child well-being by improving the economic support of children. This report presents the detailed findings, and complete descriptions of the research methodologies for all four components of the study. Each component of the study is described and discussed in a separate chapter of this report, each of which may be read as a stand-alone report. Chapter summaries are presented at the beginning of each chapter. Findings and recommendations and policy issues for discussion are presented after this introduction, before the four main chapters.