Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (대한소아청소년정신의학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Custody Evaluation Process and Report Writing

  • Received : 2020.02.17
  • Accepted : 2020.03.03
  • Published : 2020.04.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

As in western countries, divorce rates in South Korea have recently been rising, and family disruption has become one of serious social problems. Parents are able to express their opinions and wishes confidently, but the thoughts and wishes of children, especially infants and young children, tend to be ignored. Children can also experience several emotional and behavioral problems during the process of and after their parents' divorce. When South Korean family courts determine custody arrangements, they typically do not have a systematic strategy and process based on custody evaluation to help children and their parents overcome conflicts and build healthy parent-child relationships after divorce. Furthermore, under the current court system, it is difficult for mental health specialists and child psychiatrists to intervene in familial conflicts as mediators or therapists during the course of divorce proceedings. Acknowledging these limitations, the South Korean family court system implemented a formal program for custody evaluations by child psychiatrists and psychologists in 2017. However, they have faced challenges such as a shortage of experienced specialist and lack of a training system or instruments for evaluation. In this paper, the authors aim to share professional knowledge of and experiences with aspects of the custody evaluation process, such as indications, procedures, methods, psychological tests, resources, and final report writing, to better serve children and their parents undergoing a painful divorce process.

Keywords

References

  1. Bow JN, Quinnell FA. A critical review of child custody evaluation reports. Fam Court Rev 2002;40:164-176. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.174-1617.2002.tb00827.x
  2. Otto RK, Edens JK, Barcus EH. The use of psychological testing in child custody evaluations. Fam Concil Courts Rev 2000;38:312-340. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.174-1617.2000.tb00578.x
  3. Kraus LJ, Thomas CR. Practice parameter for child and adolescent forensic evaluations. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011;50:1299-1312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2011.09.020
  4. Bow JN, Quinnell FA. Critique of child custody evaluations by the legal profession. Fam Court Rev 2004;42:115-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/1531244504421009
  5. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Practice parameters for child custody evaluation. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1997;36(10 Suppl):57S-68S. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199710001-00005
  6. Bernet W. Child custody evaluations. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 2002;11:781-804. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1056-4993(02)00019-6
  7. Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act, 9A Uniform Laws Annotated; Sec. 316 (1979).
  8. Herman SP. Special issues in child custody evaluations. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1990;29:969-974. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199011000-00024
  9. Martindale DA, Martin L, Austin WG, Drozd L, Gould-Saltman D, Kirkpatrick HD, et al. Model standards of practice for child custody evaluation. Fam Court Rev 2007;45:70-91. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2007.129_3.x
  10. Rutter M. Clinical implications of attachment concepts: retrospect and prospect. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1995;36:549-571. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1995.tb02314.x
  11. Practice Directorate, American Psychological Association. Guidelines for child custody evaluations in divorce proceedings. Am Psychol 1994;49:677-680. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.49.7.677
  12. Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Association of Family and Conciliation Courts model standards of practice for child custody evaluation. Fam Court Rev 1994;32:504-513. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.174-1617.1994.tb01085.x
  13. American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyer. Child custody evaluation standard. J Am Acad Matrimonial Law 2013;25:251-294.
  14. Palmer JO. The psychological assessment of children. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Wiley;1983.
  15. Gould JW. Conducting scientifically crafted child custody evaluations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications;1998.
  16. Otto RK, Butcher JN. Computer-assisted psychological assessment in child custody evaluation. Fam Law Q 1995;29:79-96.
  17. Heilbrun K. The role of psychological testing in forensic assessment. Law Hum Behav 1992;16:257-272. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01044769
  18. Butcher JN, Graham JR, Ben-Porath YS, Tellegen A, Dahlstrom WG. MMPI-2, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2: manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation (revised edition). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press;2001.
  19. Morey LC. The Personality Assessment Inventory: professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources;1991.
  20. Quinnell FA, Bow JN. Psychological tests used in child custody evaluation. Behav Sci Law 2001;19:491-501. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.452
  21. Ackerman MJ, Schoendorf K. ASPECT: Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services;1992.
  22. Bricklin B. The custody evaluation handbook: research based solutions & applications. New York, NY: Brunner/Mazel;1995.
  23. Heinze MC, Grisso T. Review of instruments assessing parenting competencies used in child custody evaluations. Behav Sci Law 1996;14:293-313. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0798(199622)14:3<293::AID-BSL241>3.0.CO;2-0
  24. Ackerman MJ, Ackerman MC. Custody evaluation practices: a survey of experienced professionals (revisited). Prof Psychol Res Pr 1997;28:137-145. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.28.2.137
  25. Bricklin B. Bricklin Perceptual Scales. Furlong, PA: Village Publishing;1990.
  26. Bricklin B. The Bricklin Perceptual Scales: child perception of parents series. Furlong, PA: Village Publishing;1984.
  27. Abidin PR. Parenting Stress Index: professional manual. 3rd ed. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources;1995.