The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions [Hardcover]

Robert M. Galatzer-Levy (Editor), Louis Kraus (Editor), R. Galatzer-Levy (Author), L. Kraus (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471174785 | ISBN-13: 978-0471174783 | Publication Date: March 11, 1999 | Edition: 1

Making the Best Child Custody Decision.

To truly address the child's best interest, decisions awarding custody should be based on the best possible information. In this essential book, leading child development researchers, legal professionals, and clinicians analyze the legal status of empirical studies, the role of psychological testing, and the evaluation and proper use of scientific evidence.

The authors present current research on topics including evaluating and using child witnesses, the problems of stepfamilies, handling sexual abuse allegations, the impact of divorce on infants and very young children, and the special custody issues raised by medically ill children and adolescents. Lawyers, judges, custody evaluators, social workers, psychologists, policymakers, and parents can use this book to understand the tangle of information and concepts involved in child custody decisions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Making the Best Child Custody Decision.

To truly address the child's best interest, decisions awarding custody should be based on the best possible information. In this essential book, leading child development researchers, legal professionals, and clinicians analyze the legal status of empirical studies, the role of psychological testing, and the evaluation and proper use of scientific evidence.

The authors present current research on topics including evaluating and using child witnesses, the problems of stepfamilies, handling sexual abuse allegations, the impact of divorce on infants and very young children, and the special custody issues raised by medically ill children and adolescents. Lawyers, judges, custody evaluators, social workers, psychologists, policymakers, and parents can use this book to understand the tangle of information and concepts involved in child custody decisions.

About the Author

DR. ROBERT M. GALATZER-LEVY, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and psychoanalyst on the faculties of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and the University of Chicago, has extensive experience as an expert witness and consultant to courts, attorneys, and families on child custody issues.

DR. LOUIS KRAUS currently serves as Division Head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for Evanston Northwestern Health Care. He has extensive expertise in educational, forensic, and child custody evaluations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471174785
• ISBN-13: 978-0471174783
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imperative Reading for Clinicians Involved in Custody Work, June 11, 2000

By 

Dr. Patricia K. Martin (Charlottesville, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions (Hardcover)

This is a comprehensive and much-needed compilation of material for the custody evaluator. The authors provide an unbiased review of the research literature, clarifying the validity of assumptions regarding parent effectiveness, visitation schedules, and children's adustment to divorce. They point out the importance of considering context and individual dyads rather than relying on broad-based conclusions generated from any particular study. They have covered a breadth of topics, beginning with legal and ethical issues, relevant child development and adjustment issues, and psychological testing. Among other topics included are "the remarriage family," adopted children, medically ill children, and children of gay and lesbian parents. This work can be a useful reference for clinicians working with children of divorce, but for those performing custody evaluations it should be required reading.

4 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The unscientific basis of Child Custody Decisions, August 29, 2009

By 

Wiebe Kunst (Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions (Hardcover)

After carefully studying this book - and hundreds of similair books and journal articles - my verdict is simply that there isn't ANY scientific basis for why mental health professionals should offer their opinion in court regarding custody arrangements. The book it self is the best evidence for the lack of a scientific - and hence ethical - basis for this kind of work, and it's obvious after reading this book that most of the authors just stubbornly clung to the idea that their education, credentials and clinical intuition give them priviliged access to the minds and motivations of others. This book should be - critically - read by every lawyer and judge dealing with custody cases to prevent more havock these "emperors without clothes" are wrecking in the lives of thousands of lives.