Shared residence, where children live approximately an equal amount of time with each parent after separation, has become increasingly common in Norway and other Western countries. Research on how children fare in different residence arrangements show inconclusive results as to whether one residence arrangement is better for child adjustment than another. Whereas some studies report better outcomes for children in shared residence compared to sole residence, others find no difference between residence arrangements. Some studies also find initial advantages for children in shared residence that weakens or disappears after accounting for background and contextual factors. Previous research has typically used a binary categorisation of residence arrangements, comparing sole and shared residence, and has relied mostly on cross-sectional design, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies. The overarching aim of this thesis was to expand our understanding of how families practicing different residence arrangements differ from one another, how residence arrangements are associated with children’s mental health, and how family relationships influence these associations.
In this thesis, we used data from parents and children aged 6-16 at recruitment, who participated in The Dynamics of Family Conflict Study (FamC). We have applied a nuanced approach of residence categorisation, comparing four different arrangements: Symmetric shared residence (equal division of time, 7 days with each parent in a 14-days period), asymmetric shared residence (38%‒43% of the time with the non-resident parent, i.e., 5–6 days in a 14-days period), extended sole residence (21%‒29% of the time with the non resident parent, i.e., 3–4 days in a 14-days period), and limited sole residence (up to 14% of the time with the non-resident parent, i.e., 1–2 days in a 14-days period or holidays only). We further advanced this approach by using a continuous measure of residence time spent with each parent.
The main results from the three papers were that I) Parents with more and older children, fewer financial difficulties and who had separated more recently, had higher likelihood of practicing symmetric shared residence, compared to arrangements with less sharing. Parents in the four residence groups did not differ regarding level of cooperation or interparental conflict; II) Children in the four residence groups displayed quite similar levels of mental health symptoms, except that those in asymmetric shared residence reported fewer depressive symptoms compared to children in limited sole residence; III) When measuring residence time continuously, there was a weaker increase in anxiety symptoms over time for children with a more equal division of residence time, compared to children living mostly with one parent; IV) Higher interparental conflict was associated with increased anxiety symptoms, especially in symmetric shared residence; V) Children with a conflictual father child relationship showed higher levels of depressive symptoms when they spent more residence time with their father than when living primarily with the mother.
Overall, the findings from the three papers indicate that there are selection effects in residence arrangements, particularly that families practicing symmetric shared residence differ from those practicing arrangements with less sharing. Furthermore, children with different residence arrangements or division of residence time between parents show quite similar levels of mental health symptoms. However, children with asymmetric shared residence experienced fewer depressive symptoms when using cross-sectional data, and children with a more equal division of residence time showed less increase in anxiety symptoms over time. Furthermore, these associations depended on family relationships.
The findings from the papers emphasise that parents and practitioners should consider family circumstances and relationships, both between the parents and between the child and the parents, to evaluate what residence arrangement might be the best for each individual child. Furthermore, the results show differences beyond the traditional categorisation of shared and sole residence, emphasising the importance of including more nuanced measures of residence arrangements to reflect a more realistic representation of children’s living arrangement when parents live apart.