Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1991

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Ecology

Major Professor

Cheryl Buehler

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the prediction of fathers' child support compliance from the quality of the former spouse relationship and psychological presence on fathers' child support compliance. The sample consisted of 109 divorced fathers. Child support compliance was measured by data from fathers' self-reports and court data. The concept quality of the former spouse relationship included four dimensions: conflict, cooperation, direct competition, and indirect competition. Two dimensions of psychological presence were measured: child and former wife. As hypothesized, cooperative former spouse relations predicted the likelihood of child support compliance. Also as hypothesized, coparental conflict did not predict the likelihood of child support compliance. Contrary to hypothesis, neither direct nor indirect coparental competition predicted the likelihood of child support compliance, and the likelihood of fathers complying with child support orders was not predicted by either psychological presence of child or former wife.

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