ERIC Number: EJ1332855
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Nov
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1520-3247
EISSN: N/A
Admissibility of Attachment Theory, Research and Assessments in Child Custody Decision-Making? Yes and No!
New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, n180 p125-140 Nov 2021
Attachment theory, research, and assessments have become increasingly applied to settle child custody cases. We discuss such applications in relation to admissibility criteria for scientific evidence and testimony proposed by Faigman et al. (2014). We argue that attachment theory and research can provide valid "framework evidence"; group-based attachment research has yielded general principles suitable as a frame of reference for pertinent court decisions. In particular, child custody decision-making should generally be guided by research indicating that children benefit from attachment networks. In contrast, assessments of attachment quality fall short of providing valid "diagnostic evidence"; information that a specific individual/dyad is a "true" instance of a general group-level principle. In particular, such assessments do not yield valid information about whether a particular caregiver has better caregiving skills than another caregiver and will better support child development. We conclude that attachment theory and research should be admissible for framework but not for diagnostic testimony.
Descriptors: Attachment Behavior, Child Custody, Decision Making, Evidence, Court Litigation, Child Rearing, Clinical Diagnosis
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A