Father-Child Relationship Quality in Living Arrangements after Divorce

Based on multi-actor data from the Divorce In Flanders survey conducted in 2010, this study examines to what extent the quality of father-child relationships is higher for children in families with joint physical custody arrangements compared to children who live solely or mainly with their mother. We focus on two mechanisms that may explain the association between living arrangements and the quality of the father-child relationship: (1) the level of father involvement and (2) the quality of the co-parental relationship. In addition, we examine whether gender of the child and conflicts between the ex-spouses moderate the association between living arrangements and the quality of the father-child relationship. Our results reveal that children who live in families with joint physical custody have indeed higher quality relationships with their fathers, compared to children who live solely with their mothers, but not compared to children who live mainly with their mother. In addition, our findings reveal that children in joint physical custody report higher quality relationships with their father compared to children who live solely with their mother because in the former families fathers are more actively involved with their children and the ex-spouses have better co-parental relationships. No significant moderating effects from child’s gender or conflicts between the ex-spouses were found. Contrary to what is often thought, our results suggest that it is the fact whether or not children live with their father, and not so much the amount of time they live with them that is important for the quality of the father-child relationship.