Using
Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations
Child custody evaluations have evolved over the years. A shift has
occurred from the ‘tender years doctrine,’ which presumed it was best for young
children, and girls of any age, to be in the custody of their mother, to the
‘best interest of the child’ standard. With this newer standard, neither parent
is believed to have an innate right to the child. The court must consider the
mental and physical health of the parents and other individuals involved in
childcare; the ability to provide food, clothing, medication, and other
material benefits to the child; the interaction and relationship between the
child and parent; and the wishes of the parents and child. This allows fathers
greater access to the custody of their children. It also makes custody
decisions more complicated and conflict laden.
Psychologists are therefore often asked to conduct child custody
evaluations. Psychologists are encouraged to gather multiple data on parental
capacity, the child’s adjustment, and the parent-child bond. Therefore, the
child is interviewed alone and each parent is interviewed separately. Both
parents are observed in a separate interaction with the child. Psychological
testing is also often used to objectify the process. The most commonly used
instruments are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2),
Rorschach Inkblot Test, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale (WAIS). However, more traditional tests such as these do not
directly assess parenting skills. For example, while most psychologists,
attorneys, and judges are familiar with these tests, they were not created to
assess parenting capacity and are not directly related to the parent-child
relationship.
The MMPI-2 assesses
truthfulness, mental illness, and maladaptive personality traits, which are
important factors in parenting. However, it should not be used as a standalone
test as it does not directly assess how these traits impact the individual’s parenting.
The Rorschach meets professional
standards in the field but is highly controversial, has limited acceptability
in court, and does not directly answer questions related to parenting.
Therefore, if the MMPI-2 or Rorschach are used it should be to address the mental
health of the parents and the data should be interpreted appropriately to
reflect mental state rather than parental capacity. Intellectual capacity, as
measured by the WAIS, has no direct bearing
on parenting capacity unless there is a question of mental retardation. The TAT also has limited acceptability in
court, has limited validity and reliability, and does not directly answer questions
related to parenting.
Therefore, several tests have been developed to more directly gauge
parenting. The Parent-Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI), Parenting Stress
Index (PSI), and Children’s Reports of Parental Behavior (CRPB) are valid and
reliable indicators of parental abilities.
The PCRI assesses the
parent’s attitudes toward parenting and their children on domains of parental
support, satisfaction with parenting, involvement, communication, limit
setting, autonomy, and role orientation. Parents who implement discipline well have
high scores and those who are referred for court-ordered mediation, and are at
risk for child abuse, have low scores. The PSI
identifies stressful factors within the child such as adaptability, demandingness,
mood, distractibility/hyperactivity, and how acceptable and gratifying the
child is to the parent. It also measures stressful factors in the parent’s life
and interactions with the child such as depression, sense of competence, level
of attachment to the child, spousal support, parental health, level of role
restriction, and social interaction. The PSI appears to be a good predictor of
which parent feels stressed by their child. The CRPB assesses a child’s perception of their parent’s warmth,
acceptance of autonomy, limit setting, positive involvement, rejection, hostile
control, intrusiveness, and inconsistent discipline. This is a good measure to
help assess the child’s view of the situation that does not solely rely on
questions they may have been prepped by their parent to answer.
Given that tests exist which more accurately assess parenting, it is suggested
that data be gathered from such tests rather than purely from traditional
tests. It is also expected that information will be gathered from alternative
sources of information, such as interviews, observations, record review, and
psychological testing will be used as a supplement to this information. Traditional
tests should be used for their intended purposes only. When they are used, they
should be used in conjunction with other materials and interpreted
appropriately.
References:
Abidin, R.
(1990). Parenting Stress Index (3rd
ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment
Resources.
Allison, J. (1998).
Review of the Parenting Stress Index. In J. Conoley & J. Imapara (Eds.),
The
twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp.722-723). Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press.
Bricklin, B. (1999).
The contribution of psychological tests to child custody evaluations. In
R. Galatzer-Levy & L. Kraus (Eds.).
The scientific basis of child custody
decisions (pp.
120-156). New York: John Wiley
Ellis, E. (2000).
Divorce Wars: Interventions with families
in conflict. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
Gerard, (1994). Parent-Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI)
manual. Los Angeles, CA:
Western Psychological Services.
Heinze, M. &
Grisso, T. (1996). Review of instruments assessing parenting competencies
used in child custody determination. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 14, 293-313.
Keilin, W., &
Bloom, L. (1986). Child custody evaluation practices: A survey of experienced
professionals. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 17, 338-346.
Teleki, J., Powell,
J., and Dodder, R. (1982). Factor analysis of reports of parental behavior
in children living in divorced and married
families. Journal of Psychology, 112, 295-
302.
Wrightsman, L. (2005). Forensic Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
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