The coparenting experience of parents involved in supervised access: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Background

With the increasing number of separations resulting in one parent being awarded sole custody of the child, the loss or severing of contact with the other parent is frequent. In this context, several countries have set up a series of socio-judicial systems to ensure that this relationship is maintained through visits supervised by social workers and psychologists.

Objective

In this article, the authors present a synthesis of the international scientific literature on the coparenting experiences of both custodial and non-custodial parents involved in supervised access measures.

Method

A systematic search of French and English language articles was conducted using 3 data sources. A total of 20 publications were selected. 6 articles were finally included using the PRISMA method.

Findings

Four themes related to the coparenting experiences of parents involved in visitation programs were highlighted: 1) coparenting and the revival of marital conflict throughout the supervised visitation program; 2) a less conflictual coparental relationship during visitation; 3) a coparental relationship developed in the child's best interests; and 4) coparenting as a protective factor in child development.

Conclusion

Our approach allowed us to compare the experiences of both custodial and non-custodial parents, whereas most research focuses only on the experiences of non-custodial parents. In a context where prevention and intervention research and programs for families affected by conflictual separations remain scarce, our science-based findings provide new avenues for support.