An Interdisciplinary Case Management Protocol for High-Conflict Families: The Evolution of Coparental Dynamic

ABSTRACT

In order to meet the crying needs of high-conflict families and professionals who work with them, a Canadian psycho-legal team developed an intervention protocol called Parentalité–Conflit–Résolution. Sixteen parents completed validated questionnaires to measure co-parenting, parental conflict, and psychological adjustment. Nonparametric analyses were performed to measure pre- and post-intervention effects. Results confirm the severity of communication problems and the high degree of hostility in families participating in the intervention protocol. Parents perceived fewer alienating behaviors in the other parent at the end of the intervention. Mothers perceived a more positive alliance with the other parent, whereas fathers perceived less parental conflict and fewer negative interactions. Longitudinal research should be conducted to measure the sustainability of changes over the long term.

KEYWORDS:

• Family
• divorce
• conflict
• intervention
• psycho-legal

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Exceptional measure in Quebec, permission granted by the Superior Court.

² These data are representative of the Quebec reality where there is a high rate of unmarried cohabitation and most children are born outside marriage

Additional information

Funding

This pilot project was financially supported by the Ministry of Justice of Quebec.