Facts & Statistics - Visitation and Denial of Visitation
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"40% of mothers reported that they had interfered with the non- custodial father's visitation on at least one occasion, to punish their ex-spouse" |
Source(s): (pg. 449, Col. 2, 1, lines 3 - 6 citing Fullton, 1979) Frequency of Visitation by Divorced Fathers: Differences in Reports by Fathers and Mothers - Sanford H. Braver, Ph.D., Sharlene A. Wolchik, Ph.D., Irwin M. Sandler, Ph.D., Bruce S. Fogas, Ph.D., Daria Zvetina, M.Ed., American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
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According to a 1996 Gallup Poll, 79.1% of Americans feel "the most significant family or social problem facing America is the physical absence of the father from the home." The percentage of respondents who felt this way in 1992 was 69.9. |
Source(s): Gallup Poll, 1996, National Center for Fathering, quoted in "Father Figures," Today's Father 4, no. 1 (1996).
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85% |
of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home |
Source(s): Fulton County Georgia jail populations & Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992
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"Mothers prevent visits to retaliate against the fathers for problems in their marital or post marital relationship" |
Source(s): (pg. 1015, Col. 2, 2, lines 5 - 8) Family Ties after Divorce: The Relationship Between Visiting and Paying Support - Judith A. Seltzer, Nora Shaeffer, Hong-wen Charing, University of Wisconsin, Journal of Marriage & the Family, Vol. 51, No. 4, November 1989.
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"The former spouse [Mother] was the greatest obstacle to having more frequent contact with the children" |
Source(s): (pg. 281, Col. 2, 1, lines 1 - 4) Increasing Our Understanding of Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their Children - James R. Dudley, Professor, University North Carolina, under a grant from Temple University, Family Relations, Vol. 4, No. 3, July 1991
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"The family turmoil that surrounding parental divorce affects the children's social, emotional, and intellectual adjustment, leading to a disruption in their functioning." |
Source(s): (pg. 139, 2, lines 1 - 3) Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post-Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June 1990
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"Feelings of anger espoused by their former spouses hindered effective involvement on the part of the fathers; angry custodial mothers undeniably sabotage father's efforts to visit their children" |
Source(s): (pg. 442, Col. 1, 1, lines 23 - 27) The Effect of the Post Divorce Relationship on Paternal Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis - Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D., and Richard B. Miller, Ph.D., American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 1993
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"Our research indicates that most fathers and children who are separated from each other face barriers to continued interaction" |
Source(s): (pg. 675, Col. 1, 1, Lines 2 - 5) Children's Contact with Absent Parents - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin - Madison and Suzanne M. Bianchi, U.S. Bureau of the Census
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"Unfortunately, most angry women attempted to use the child's symptomatic behaviors as proof that the visits were detrimental to the child's welfare and should therefore be discontinued, distressing the unhappy children even more" |
Source(s): (pg. 126, 2, lines 1 - 5) Surviving the Breakup, Joan Berlin Kelly and Judith S. Wallerstein, Basic Books
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"The court's failure to enforce or expand visitation agreements were a frequently mentioned complaint of absent biological fathers." |
Source(s): (pg. 281, col. 2, 2, lines 14 - 16) Increasing Our Understanding of Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their Children - James R. Dudley, Professor, University North Carolina, under a grant from Temple University, Family Relations, Vol. 4, No. 3, July 1991
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"Since parental judgment and leadership are weak following divorce, the court must step in and convey the message that parents of divorce are expected to cooperate" |
Source(s): (pg. 3, col. 1, 5, lines 1 - 4) Child Custody and Parental Cooperation - Frank Williams, M.D., Dir. Psychiatry - Cedar-Sinai - Presented at American Bar Association, Family Law Section, August 1987 and January 1988
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Overall, More than 50% of mothers "see no value in the father's continued contact with his children" |
Source(s): (pg. 125, 4, lines 1 and 2) Surviving the Breakup - Joan Berlin Kelly and Judith S. Wallerstein
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"37.9% of fathers receive no access/visitation" |
Source(s): (pg. 6, col. 2, 6, lines 4 & 5) Child Support & Alimony: 1989 Series P-60, No.173, Issued September 1991 Pages 6 & 7 of the 1989 Census - Current Population Reports
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"Between 25% - 33% of mothers denied visits" |
Source(s): (pg. 451, col. 2, 2, lines 11 - 14) Frequency of Visitation by Divorced Fathers: Differences in Reports by Fathers and Mothers - Sanford H. Braver, Ph.D., Sharlene A. Wolchik, Ph.D., Irwin M. Sandler, Ph.D., Bruce S. Fogas, Ph.D., Daria Zvetina, M.Ed. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
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About 40% of the children who live in fatherless households haven't seen their fathers in at least a year. Of the remaining 60 percent, only 20% sleeps even one night per month in the father's home. Only one in six sees his father an average of once or more per week. |
Source(s): Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr., and Christine Winquist Nord, "Parenting Apart: Patterns of Child Rearing After Marital Disruption," Journal of Marriage and the Family, November 1985.
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"Unilateral (Mothers) abuse of parental custodial power is more common in court ordered sole custody situations." |
Source(s): (pg. 4, col. 1, 1, lines 17 - 20) Child Custody and Parental Cooperation - Frank Williams, M.D., Dir. Psychiatry - Cedar-Sinai - Presented to the American Bar Association, Family Law Section, August 1987 and January 1988
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"90% of the violence and kidnapping we have seen are in sole custody situations in which the sole custodial parent (mother) fears losing her custody status, or the parentectomized parent kidnaps the child away from the sole custody parent who possessively blocks the visiting parent from access." |
Source(s): (pg. 4, Col. 1, 1, lines 3-9) Child Custody and Parental Cooperation - Frank Williams, M.D., Dir. Psychiatry - Cedar-Sinai - Presented at American Bar Association, Family Law Section, August 1987 and January 1988. - Kidnapping and Violence in Relation to Custody - Reprinted in Joint Custodian, Jan. 1988
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"Few men can afford to legally contest every infringement of the visitation agreement." |
Source(s): (pg. 60, 3, lines 11 - 12) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"Fathers often experience intense conflicts originating with their former spouses, and these conflicts typically interfere with their on-going parent-child relationships." |
Source(s): (pg. 279, col. 2, 2, lines 15 - 19) Increasing Our Understanding of Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their Children - James R. Dudley, Professor, University North Carolina, under a grant from Temple University, Family Relations, Vol. 4, No. 3, July 1991
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"Fathers felt their bargaining power to be weaker than the mother's and mentioned the repeated need for compromise and negotiation to maintain regular involvement with the children." |
Source(s): (pg. 60, 3, lines 13 - 15) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"Most men were dissatisfied with the frequency of visitation" |
Source(s): (pg. 54, 4 lines 5) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"70% of fathers felt they had too little time with their children." |
Source(s): (pg 54, 4, lines 5 - 7) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"One form of permanent physical separation does not seem to be as devastating as desertion, particularly to sons. This is the case when the father has died. In spite of the complete absence of their fathers, these males tend to adapt better than sons whose fathers are absent by choice. A critical factor here is that the mother may have very positive memories of her husband and will talk a lot about him to her son. This helps create a positive symbolic image of the father that partially compensates for his physical absence...." |
· NOTE: Desertion can also be a consequence of a continuous pattern of forced denial of visitation and access by custodial mothers.
· Source(s): Jerome Shapirio, PhD, "The measure of a man", 1993, p.101
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"Very few of the children were satisfied with the amount of contact with their fathers, after divorce." |
Source(s): (pg. 50, 2, lines 1 - 3) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"A child living with his/her divorced mother, compared to a child living with both parents is 375% more likely to need professional treatment for emotional or behavioral problems and is almost twice as likely to repeat a grade of school, is more likely to suffer chronic asthma, frequent headaches, and/or bedwetting, develop a stammer or speech defect, suffer from anxiety or depression, and be diagnosed as hyperactive." |
Source(s): National Center for Health Statistics
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"Children who live in single mother households receive less adult supervision and attention." |
Source(s): (pg. 79, Col. 1, 1, Lines 13 - 15) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"55.3% of children living with divorced mothers and 59.2% of children living with remarried mothers, suffer from anxiety or depression." |
Source(s): National Center for Health Statistics
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"in 21 of 27 social adjustment measures and 8 of 9 academic measures, children of divorce (93% of whom reside with mothers) show lower performance than children in two parent families. The results were far more pronounced for boys, than for girls." |
Source(s): Nationwide Impact on Children of Divorce Study, John Guidubaldi, Ph.D., former President, School Psychologists Association
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"Daughters in single mother homes have more negative attitudes toward men in general and their fathers in particular." |
Source(s): (pg. 146 , 2, lines 5 - 8) Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post-Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June 1990
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"Non custodial parents, who are usually men (96%), are likely to be negatively affected in psychological ways. A most pervasive problem is suffering caused by the feeling that they have lost their children." |
Source(s): (pg. 279, col. 2, 2, lines 1 - 5) Increasing Our Understanding of Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their Children - James R. Dudley, Professor, University North Carolina, under a grant from Temple University, Family Relations, Vol. 4, No. 3, July 1991
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"Divorced fathers reported significantly more depressive symptoms than did married fathers." |
Source(s): (pg. 130 Col. 2, 2, lines 6 - 10) The Role of Paternal Variables in Divorced and Married Families - Amanda Thomas and Rex Forehand, American Journal of Othopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 1, January 1993
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"Fathers reports of poorer relationships with the adolescents were significantly associated with teacher reports of more conduct problems." |
Source(s): (pg. 130, col. 2, 3, lines 12 - 15) Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post-Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June 1990
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"Fathers low level of social involvement are mirrored by their weak economic ties." |
Source(s): (pg. 79, Col. 1, 3, Lines 1 - 2) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"One clear message from the accumulated divorce research is that children profit immeasurably by continued exposure to both parents" |
Source(s): (pg. 61, 1, lines 1 - 3) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"Children who were able to maintain post-divorce relationships with both parents were better able to adjust to the divorce." |
Source(s): ( pg. 50, 3, lines 5 - 7) Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984
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"The continuing involvement of divorced fathers in families where mothers maintain physical custody has become recognized as an important mediating factor in the adjustment and well-being of children of divorce." |
Source(s): (pg. 441, col. 2, 1, lines 4 - 9) The Effect of the Post Divorce Relationship on Paternal Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis - Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D., and Richard B. Miller, Ph.D., American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 1993
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"Children recover more rapidly from the emotional trauma of parents' separation when they maintain close ties with their fathers." |
Source(s): (pg. 1013, Col. 2, 2, lines 13 - 24 continued on pg. 1014, Col. 1, 1, lines 1) Family Ties after Divorce: The Relationship Between Visiting and Paying Support - Judith A. Seltzer, Nora Shaeffer, Hong-wen Charing, University of Wisconsin, Journal of Marriage & the Family, Vol. 51, No. 4, November 1989.
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"Adolescents who reported closer relationships with their non custodial fathers were assessed as displaying fewer internalizing problems." |
Source(s): (pg. 139, 1, lines 8 - 10) Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post- Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June 1990
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"Paternal visitation has been found to consistently be positively related to payment of child support" |
Source(s): (pg. 134, col. 1, 2, lines 16 - 18) The Role of Paternal Variables in Divorced and Married Families - Amanda Thomas and Rex Forehand, American Journal of Othopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 1, January 1993
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"Fathers who have frequent contact with their children are also more likely to discuss the children with the mother." |
Source(s): (pg. 89, Col. 1, 2, Lines 10 - 13) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"Fathers who visit their children are most likely to have a voice in major child-rearing decisions." |
Source(s): (pg. 90, Col. 1, 2, Lines 8 - 10) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"When both parents share the social and economic responsibilities of child care, children appear to adapt better to their changed living arrangements than when mothers bear these responsibilities alone." |
Source(s): (pg. 79, Col. 1, 1, Lines 18 - 24) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"Friendliness [between parents] increased with greater contact frequency" |
Source(s): Post-divorce Relationships between Ex-Spouses: The Roles of Attachment and Interpersonal Conflict - Carol Masheter, University of Utah, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Volume 53, (February 1991): 103 110
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"Fathers have much to offer their adolescent children in many areas, including their career development, moral development, and sex role identification." |
Source(s): (pg. 284, col. 2, 5, lines 6 - 10) Increasing Our Understanding of Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their Children - James R. Dudley, Professor, University North Carolina, under a grant from Temple University, Family Relations, Vol. 40, No. 3, July 1991
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"Fathers who spend time with their children teach them values." |
Source(s): (pg. 87, Col. 1, 2, Lines 23 - 26) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"Fathers and children who maintain close touch through visiting communicate regularly in other ways as well." |
Source(s): (pg. 85, Col. 2, 1, Lines 23 - 25) Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991
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"Frequent contact with the father is associated with positive adjustment of the children." |
Source(s): (pg. 441, col. 2, 1, lines 18 - 20) The Effect of the Post Divorce Relationship on Paternal Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis - Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D., and Richard B. Miller, Ph.D., American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 1993
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"Fathers play a significant role in terms of adolescent functioning" |
Source(s): (pg. 134, col. 2, 2, lines 21 - 23) The Role of Paternal Variables in Divorced and Married Families - Amanda Thomas and Rex Forehand, American Journal of Othopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 1, January 1993
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"Males who reported high levels of inter-parental conflict and a good relationship with their fathers were perceived [by their teachers] to have fewer internalizing problems. A similar set of results emerged for the female adolescents" |
Source(s): (pg. 144, 1, lines 1 - 3 and pg. 144, 2, line 1) Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post- Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June 1990
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"Significant correlations were found between the father's reports of positive relationships with their adolescent offspring and teacher reports of less anxiety/withdrawal on the part of the adolescents." |
Source(s): (pg. 130, col. 2, 3, lines 7 - 12) The Role of Paternal Variables in Divorced and Married Families - Amanda Thomas and Rex Forehand, American Journal of Othopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 1, January 1993
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D-I-V-O-R-S-E: No matter how you spell it, it's trouble for kids. Between 1971 and 1981, researcher Judith Wallerstein conducted a study of more than 100 children caught in the middle of their parents' divorces. Her findings: A decade after the divorce, children of divorce felt "less protected, less cared for, less comforted" and had "vivid, gut-wrenching memories of their parents' separation." After the divorce, many five- to eight-year-old boys showed "an intense longing for their fathers" that at times seemed physically painful. After moving out of the house, many divorced fathers found it difficult to sustain a close and loving relationship with their children, especially if they or their wives remarried. Yet the children held tenaciously to an internalized image of their absent father. Not only did the children's need for their father continue, it also tended to rise with new intensity at adolescence, especially when it was time for the children to leave home. The nature of the father-child relationship, not the frequency of visiting, is most influential in a child's psychological development. |
Source(s): J. Wallerstein, S. Blakeslee, "Second Chances: Men, Women and Children a Decade After Divorce," 1989.
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63% |
of youth suicides are from homes where the biological father is not present |
· Source(s): U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census
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90% |
of all homeless and runaway children are from homes where the biological father is not present |
· Source(s): Center for Disease Control
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85% |
of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from homes where the biological father is not present |
· Source(s): Center for Disease Control
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80% |
of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from homes where the biological father is not present |
· Source(s): Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26
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71% |
of all high school dropouts come from homes where the biological father is not present |
· Source(s): National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools
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70% |
of juveniles in state operated institutions come from homes where the biological father is not present |
· Source(s): U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept., 1988
ARE CHILDREN FROM homes where the biological father is not present AT GREATER RISK? YES!
LET'S
COUNT THE WAYS:
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CATEGORIES |
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· Source(s): U.S. Bureau of the Census
· U.S. GAO, U.S. DHHS
· U.S. Dept of Justice
Translated, this
means that children from a fatherless home are:
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5 |
times more likely to
commit suicide |
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"It is paradoxical that at a time when popular sentiment encourages men to become more involved with childbirth and childrearing when they live with their children, fathers face ambiguous messages from their families and mass media about their responsibilities to children with whom they do not live." |
Source(s): (pg. 81, Col. 1, 2, Lines 22 - 28) Relationships between
Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role after Separation -
Judith A. Seltzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the
Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991