Parent-Child Interaction: Forensic and Psychological Expert Evaluations

In our scientific work we tested a methodology for studying child's interaction with his/her cohabitant parent and the one living away. The methodology is integrated into the comprehensive forensic, psychological and psychiatric examination which is carried out during family law cases between divorcing parents and is aimed to decide the child's place of residence or visiting arrangements for the separated parent. The methodology protocol includes socio-demographic parameters, expert decisions and two datasets on the child-parent relationship found during the forensic examination and interaction test. 66 children aged 4-15 have been examined. Of those, 28 children (23 boys, 5 girls) were incapable to make their own decisions on the issues that might affect them (due to the induced state they were in as a result of the cohabitant parent's actions). The 38 remaining children's (17 boys, 21 girls) abilities to make their own decisions were intact. The research isolated highly informative interaction peculiarities that are typical for the children who are unable to make their own decisions on the substance of the litigation and also demonstrated their high importance for expert diagnostics.