Court-ordered mediation: perceptions and outcomes

Data from 135 parents were used to explore and compare perceptions of process and outcome for court-ordered and voluntary participants in child custody/visitation mediation. Information from the Clients Assessment of Mediation Services (CAMS) is used to analyze six process and four outcome variables for male/female and agreement/no agreement groups. Data were reported on mediated agreements and reasons for termination of mediation prior to reaching agreement. The results of this study indicated voluntary mediation participants, more than court-ordered participants, were 1) emotionally satisfied with the agreement, 2) believed mediators were warm, sensitive, and Sympathetic, and 3) mediation improved their relationship with their (ex) spouse. Voluntary and court-ordered participants were similar on process variables of empowerment, adequacy of information, and mediator impartiality, and outcome variables of satisfaction with custody and adequacy of information about child issues. There were significant differences between court-ordered agreement/no agreement groups on the process variables of sensitive/effective mediator, empowerment, adequacy of information and focus on issues, and outcome variables of satisfaction with agreement, emotional satisfaction, satisfaction with custody and adequacy of information on child issues.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Family and Child Development

Department dc:contributor.department

Family and Child Development

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1991

Author dc:creator

• McCrary, Betty R.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Sporakowski, Michael J.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Keller, James F.
• Protinsky, Howard O.
• Cross, Lawrence H.
• Getz, Hildy G.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-10122005-134438

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/39779