Onto the Next Generation: Exploring the Impact of Mother's Experiences of Child Abuse and Commercial Sex Industry Involvement on Child Custody Outcomes.

Women and girls remain substantially overrepresented in the commercial sex industry. While a number of outcomes have been linked to childhood abuse and involvement with the commercial sex industry, there exists a gap in understanding the unique impact of child abuse on child custody outcomes among adult women involved in the commercial sex industry. Drawing from data collected from 107 case files of adult women with a history of commercial sex industry involvement, the aim of the current study was to understand the link between child abuse history, commercial sex industry involvement, and child custody outcomes. Results indicated that among women who reported a history of child sex trafficking, 91.7% reported having endured child abuse. Further, 82.4% of women reported that their children were not under their custody. Dysfunctional family dynamics, substance abuse, and economic and structural barriers endured by these women are explored further, and intergenerational continuity of such traumagenic precarities is considered as a prolonged implication of such issues. Through a trauma-informed perspective, implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Post-separation abuse: A literature review connecting tactics to harm.

Post-separation abuse is a pervasive societal and public health problem. This literature review aims to critically synthesize the evidence on tactics and consequences of post-separation abuse. We examined 48 published articles in the US and Canada from 2011 through May 2022. Post-separation abuse encompasses a broad range of tactics perpetrated by a former intimate partner including patterns of psychological, legal, economic, and mesosystem abuse as well as weaponizing children. Functional consequences include risk of lethality and deprivation of fundamental human needs. Connecting tactics of post-separation abuse to harms experienced by survivors and their children is crucial for future research, policy, and intervention work to promote long-term safety, health, and well-being of children and adult survivors.

"I Worry About My Kids' Safety When They Visit": Mothers' Perceptions of Father/Child Post-Separation Contact in the Context of IPV.

After separation because of intimate partner violence, fathers' contact with children can be problematic. This mixed methods secondary analysis focused on 280 Canadian separated/divorced mothers who were 48.4% White, 45.1% Indigenous, and 6.5% Visible Minority. Of 176 fathers, 105 (59.7%) had regular visits and, 71 (40.3%) visited sporadically; 104 had no contact. Comments from half the mothers (54.3%) with regular father-child visits indicated worry, and 41.9% of all mothers perceived their children as sad/upset and another 14.5% as angry/acting out in response to visitation. Recommendations to address mothers' and children's issues with respect to problematic father-child contact are provided.

Firearms and post-separation abuse: Providing context behind the data on firearms and intimate partner violence.

AIM: The aim of this study is to provide insight from maternal survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) describing their experiences with their ex-partners' firearm ownership, access, storage and behaviours in the context of co-parenting and separation. DESIGN: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study informed by the IPV and Coparenting Model. METHODS: The analytic sample consists of self-identified maternal survivors (n = 14) who completed semi-structured qualitative interviews between January and May 2023 describing experiences of post-separation abuse. Participants were recruited through social media and domestic violence advocacy and legal aid organizations. In the interview guide, participants were asked one item about firearm exposure: Have you or your children had any experiences with guns and your ex-partner that made you or your children feel scared? Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Interview transcripts were managed and coded in ATLAS.ti using a codebook. Codes were applied using descriptive content analysis, discrepancies reconciled and themes related to firearm exposure in the context of post-separation abuse identified. RESULTS: Six themes emerged related to firearm experiences and post-separation abuse: (1) gun ownership (2) gun access; (3) unsafe storage; (4) direct and symbolic threats; (5) involving the children; (6) survivors' protective actions. CONCLUSION: This manuscript provides context on how abusive ex-partners' firearm ownership, access and threats cause terror and pervasive fear for mothers and children following separation. Analysis of qualitative data provides important insights into opportunities to address firearm injury prevention. IMPACT: Findings add to the contextual understanding of how survivors of IPV experience non-fatal firearm abuse. Existing quantitative data may not capture the full extent of fear caused by perpetrators' gun ownership access and symbolic threats. Data from this study can help inform firearm injury prevention efforts. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the individuals who helped in cognitive testing of the interview guide prior to conducting interviews with participants, including (3) survivors of post-separation abuse. The authors would also like to acknowledge domestic violence advocates and those individuals who helped with recruitment and connected us with participants. Importantly, with deep gratitude, the authors would like to thank the participants who generously shared their time and stories with us.

Intimate Partner Violence Survivors' Perspectives on Coping With Family Court Processes.

Although intimate partner violence (IPV)-exposed mothers report distress during family court proceedings, no known research examines what helps them cope. We analyzed qualitative responses from 214 IPV-exposed mothers to the question of who/what helped during family court. Participants described (a) receiving social support, (b) accessing tools and resources, (c) modifying actions, thoughts, and emotions to adapt to a system that is not trauma-informed, (d) being believed/validated, and (e) managing post-separation family life as helpful. Participants also reported (f) barriers to navigating family law proceedings; a few expressed nothing helped. Findings support a trauma-informed, network-oriented approach to supporting family court-involved survivor mothers.

Grappling with Issues of Motherhood for Women with Schizophrenia.

Despite the fact that most persons with schizophrenia find steady employment difficult to sustain, many women with this diagnosis embrace and fulfill the most difficult task of all-motherhood. The aim of this paper is to specify the challenges of motherhood in this population and review the treatment strategies needed to keep mothers and children safe, protecting health and fostering growth. The review addresses concerns that had been brought to the author's earlier attention during her clinical involvement with an outpatient clinic for women with psychosis. It is, thus, a non-systematic, narrative review of topic areas subjectively assessed as essential to "good enough" mothering in the context of schizophrenia. Questions explored are the stigma against motherhood in this population, mothers' painful choices, issues of contraception, abortion, child custody, foster care and kin placement of children, the effects of antipsychotics, specific perinatal delusional syndromes, and, finally, the availability of parental support. This review is intended for clinicians. Recommendations are that care providers work collaboratively with mothers, take note of their strengths as well as their failings, offer a wide array of family services, monitor households closely for safety and for treatment adherence, appreciating the many challenges women with schizophrenia face daily.

A qualitative study on how intimate partner violence against women changes, escalates, and persists from pre- to postseparation.

Research has focused on intimate partner violence (IPV) against women either before or after separation, but little attention has been paid to the changes in and persistence of violent behaviors from one situation to the next. This study contributes to the literature by comparing the changes in types and frequencies of abusive behaviors of women's former husbands. This allows us to understand how mechanisms of power are enacted through IPV both before and after separation. We interviewed 19 women in the Midwestern United States who had experienced IPV by their former husbands and had subsequently divorced them. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings suggest that verbal abuse and using children were the most common forms of IPV both pre- and postseparation. Many preseparation behaviors were replaced by other forms of abuse; for example, physical abuse was not experienced after separation. Some forms of IPV, such as stalking and economic abuse, escalated after separation. This reveals that exerting control over women through nonphysical forms of IPV was more common after separation. In particular, using axial and selective coding approach, our findings present three composite narratives of women's experiences of the changes in, and the escalation and persistence of, the violence they faced. The three composite narratives show how abusive behaviors are situated within patriarchal notions of dominance, power, and control over women and their children. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of healthcare services, advocacy-based victim assistance, school officials, and the courts.

A prospective longitudinal study of child custody status among homeless population mothers.

Most women in homeless populations are mothers, the majority being single mothers. Retaining child custody is challenging in homeless circumstances. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to follow the moving pieces of housing and child custody in the context carefully-assessed psychiatric and substance use disorders over time. A 2-year prospective longitudinal study of an epidemiologic sample of individuals with literal homelessness included 59 mothers. Annual assessments included structured diagnostic interviews, detailed assessment of homeless circumstances, urine drug testing, and service use documented by both self report and data from agencies serving these individuals. More than one-third of the mothers consistently lacked child custody throughout the course of the study and the proportions of mothers with child custody did not increase significantly. Nearly one-half of the mothers had a current year drug use disorder at baseline, including cocaine disorder in most. Continuing lack of child custody over time was associated with longitudinal lack of housing and use of drugs. The importance of drug use disorders in the longitudinal course of child custody points to a critical need for formal substance abuse treatment, not just initiatives to decrease drug use, in helping mothers regain and maintain custody of their children.

Parental alienation in Lebanon: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Parental alienation is a relatively newly described disorder, with a growing prevalence, as divorce and custody battles are becoming more and more complex with increased difficulty of joint custody. In parental alienation, one parent, the alienating parent, forms an alliance with the child involved in the custody dispute and manages to effectively alienate the targeted parent completely. The child and the alienating parent manifest a form of folie à deux and, hence, are in complete synchrony in the hatred and denigration of the targeted parent. Issues, such as potentially false allegations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of the child by the targeted parent, arise. The child and the alienating parent become mutually convinced of the targeted parent's transgressions. Consequently, it becomes difficult for the courts and psychiatric professionals to differentiate true abuse from parental alienation. CASE PRESENTATION: In this case study, we aimed to conduct an in-depth psychological and psychiatric evaluation of a Lebanese family (white race) where a father was wrongly accused by the mother and his 11-year-old white boy of both physical and sexual abuse. The data for this study were collected through unstructured and semi-structured interviews, observations, and psychological tests (Rorschach test for the parents and Blacky test for the child), and through the analysis of documented evidence presented in the trial. CONCLUSION: This case manifested most criteria set forth for the diagnosis of parental alienation and created serious doubt regarding the validity of the allegations set forth by the mother and the child. Uncovered parental alienation often misleads mental health professionals at the expense of the child's mental health .

Patterns of healthcare utilization with placement changes for youth in foster care.

BACKGROUND: Children in foster care experience poor health and high healthcare use. Child welfare agencies frequently require healthcare visits when children enter foster care; subsequent placement changes also disrupt healthcare. Studies of healthcare use have not accounted for placement changes. OBJECTIVE: To understand patterns of healthcare use throughout the time a child enters foster care and with placement changes, accounting for mandated visits when children enter foster care or experience a placement change. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Children 4 and older in foster care between 2012 and 2017 (N = 2787) with linked child welfare administrative data from one county child welfare agency and one Midwest pediatric healthcare system. METHODS: Negative binomial models predicted healthcare days per month that were planned (e.g., scheduled primary/specialty care), unplanned (e.g., emergency care), or missed. RESULTS: Planned healthcare days increased as a function of placement changes (Incident Rate Ratio [IRR] =1.69, p < .05) and decreased with placement stability (IRR = 0.92, p < .01). Mandated visits that occurred later in a placement were associated with fewer planned (IRR = 0.81, p < .01) and unplanned (IRR = 0.82, p < .01) healthcare days during that placement. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of planned healthcare over the time children are in one placement and move between placements suggest more can be done to ensure youth remain connected to primary and specialty care throughout placements and placement transitions, s that children are seen as clinically appropriate rather than a function of placement disruption. Findings regarding the timing of mandated visits suggest that delays in mandated care may also reflect lower healthcare use overall.

Predictors of behavioral and emotional issues in children involved in custody disputes: A cross sectional study in urban Bengaluru.

BACKGROUND: The increasing rates of divorce in urban India has led to the subsequent parental battle for the child's custody. This paper discusses the behavioral and emotional issues of these children in relation to their psychosocial environmental factors and other relevant socio-demographic variables. METHODS: We used samples from parent interviews concerning 52 children aged 7-17-years-old, involved in child custody cases in the Family court of urban Bengaluru. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to measure response variables of behavioral and emotional issues in these children. Predictor models of quantile and multiple linear regression were used to assess the influence of psychosocial environmental factors and socio-demographic variables on the response variables. RESULTS: The predictor models revealed that risk of child suffering emotional and behavioral issues increased with factors such as excessive parental control, change of academic environment, general unrest at school, frequency of child's court visit, child's visitation of non-custodian parent on occasions and vacations, and negatively altered family relationship. The model however intriguingly showed that residing in nuclear household rather than with their grandparents in a non-nuclear household, decreased the risk of mental health issues in these children. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a novel attempt to understand the influence of the psychosocial issues on the child's mental health in the context of custody cases in India. Despite the minimum sample size, the findings imply that family-based intervention is the need of the hour in these cases. The implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.

Attachment goes to court: child protection and custody issues.

Attachment theory and research are drawn upon in many applied settings, including family courts, but misunderstandings are widespread and sometimes result in misapplications. The aim of this consensus statement is, therefore, to enhance understanding, counter misinformation, and steer family-court utilisation of attachment theory in a supportive, evidence-based direction, especially with regard to child protection and child custody decision-making. The article is divided into two parts. In the first, we address problems related to the use of attachment theory and research in family courts, and discuss reasons for these problems. To this end, we examine family court applications of attachment theory in the current context of the best-interest-of-the-child standard, discuss misunderstandings regarding attachment theory, and identify factors that have hindered accurate implementation. In the second part, we provide recommendations for the application of attachment theory and research. To this end, we set out three attachment principles: the child's need for familiar, non-abusive caregivers; the value of continuity of good-enough care; and the benefits of networks of attachment relationships. We also discuss the suitability of assessments of attachment quality and caregiving behaviour to inform family court decision-making. We conclude that assessments of caregiver behaviour should take center stage. Although there is dissensus among us regarding the use of assessments of attachment quality to inform child custody and child-protection decisions, such assessments are currently most suitable for targeting and directing supportive interventions. Finally, we provide directions to guide future interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Mothers and fathers with intellectual and developmental disabilities who use US disability services: prevalence and living arrangements.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the prevalence of mothers and fathers with intellectual and developmental disabilities among US disability-service users. Child removal is a key issue for these parents. METHODS: We analysed 2018-19 National Core Indicators data from 35 states on US adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities being a parent. For parents of a child under 18, we examined whether the child lived with them. RESULTS: Prevalence of parenthood was 3.7% (6.0% women, 2.1% men). Among parents of a child under 18, 44.0% had their child living with them. Being a mother, being married and living with family were positively associated with child co-residence. Parents with co-resident children mainly lived in their own home (59.7%) or their family's home (32.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Our prevalence estimate suggests a national total of 33 794 US parents who use intellectual and developmental disabilities services. For parents living with their child, a critical task for disability services is to enable parents and children to live in a family setting.

A vivência da guarda compartilhada após o divórcio e/ou dissolução conjugal / The experience of joint custody after divorce and/or marital dissolution

O objetivo desta revisão integrativa foi investigar, em estudos acadêmicos publicados entre 2010 e 2020, como pais e filhos vivenciam a guarda compartilhada após o processo de divórcio e/ou dissolução conjugal. As bases utilizadas foram: LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE e PsycINFO. Os descritores elencados foram: Guarda Compartilhada, Cuidados Parentais, Custódia da Criança, Divórcio, Educação Infantil, Família, Parentalidade, Poder Familiar, Relações Familiares, Relações Pais-Filho. Após a realização das buscas (N= 381), procedeu-se com a exclusão de estudos por repetição (N=121), título (N=83) e resumo (N=18). Os artigos remanescentes foram lidos na íntegra e (N=16) foram recuperados e compõem esta revisão. Os estudos apontam a dificuldade de difusão da modalidade de guarda compartilhada no Brasil, destacando fatores favoráveis e contrários à sua aplicação. Evidencia-se a necessidade de mais estudos empíricos na área, a fim de consolidar inferências consonantes em grande parte dos estudos que se mostraram relevantes na composição deste trabalho de revisão.

The objective of this integrative review was to explore how parentes and children experience joint custody after divorce and/or marital dissolution, in studies from 2015 to 2020. The data bases LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE and PsycINFO were used. The descriptors listed were Joint Custody, Child Custody, Divorce, Child Rearing, Family, Parenting, Family Relations, Parent-Child Relations. After performing the searches (n=381), we proceeded to the exclusion of repetitive studies (n=121), title (n=83) and summary (n=18). The remaining articles were read in full and 16 were retrieved and make up this review. Studies explore the difficulty of diffusion of the modality in Brasil and shows factors considered as favorable and adversary to its application. We emphasize the importance of more studies in the area, with the aim of consolidating consonant inferences in most of the studies that proved to be relevant in the composition of this integrative review.

Percepção de Pais/Mães Separados(as) Sobre Guarda e Convivência Durante a Pandemia / Divorced Parents' Perceptions of Child Custody and Contacts During the Pandemic

Resumo A pandemia de Covid-19 impactou as formas de interação em diversos contextos sociais. Qual terá sido o seu impacto sobre os regimes de guarda e convivência dos(as) filhos(as) de pais/mães separados(as)? Este estudo qualitativo-exploratório investigou, por meio de uma análise temática, como 119 pais e mães separados(as) perceberam esse impacto durante a primeira onda da pandemia em 2020. Observaram-se alterações nas dinâmicas de comunicação e inter-relação coparentais. Os resultados também indicam que a capacidade dos pais e mães separados(as) para se adaptarem às limitações da pandemia e suas consequências estiveram bastante ligadas às dinâmicas de funcionamento coparental preexistentes à pandemia. Além disso, observou-se também que os principais impactos (i.e., na convivência e cuidados com os(as) filhos(as) parecem ter afetado mais as mães do que os pais.

Abstract The pandemic has impacted the ways in which people interact. Which impacts the pandemic might have brought about in regards to child custody and contacts arrangements? Through a thematic analysis, this qualitative and exploratory study investigated how 119 separated parents perceived this impact. Results address the impacts of the pandemic on child custody and contacts arrangements, especially regarding coparental communication. They also outline that the separated parents' ability to adapt themselves to the pandemic restrictions, and their consequences. This ability was very linked to pre-existing coparental dynamics. Also, this paper discusses how the main impacts (i.e., maintaining contacts and caring for children) seemed to impact mothers more than fathers.

Admissibility of attachment theory, research and assessments in child custody decision-making? Yes and No!

Attachment theory, research, and assessments have become increasingly applied to settle child custody cases. We discuss such applications in relation to admissibility criteria for scientific evidence and testimony proposed by Faigman et al. (2014). We argue that attachment theory and research can provide valid "framework evidence"; group-based attachment research has yielded general principles suitable as a frame of reference for pertinent court decisions. In particular, child custody decision-making should generally be guided by research indicating that children benefit from attachment networks. In contrast, assessments of attachment quality fall short of providing valid "diagnostic evidence"; information that a specific individual/dyad is a "true" instance of a general group-level principle. In particular, such assessments do not yield valid information about whether a particular caregiver has better caregiving skills than another caregiver and will better support child development. We conclude that attachment theory and research should be admissible for framework but not for diagnostic testimony.

"Na prática, ela é muito complicada": Dilemas do Cotidiano sobre o Instituto da Guarda Compartilhada / "In practice, it is very complicated": Everyday Dilemmas About the Joint Custody Institute / "En práctica, ella es muy complicada": Dilemas Cotidianos sobre el Instituto de Custodia Compartida

A legalização do divórcio no Brasil possibilitou o reconhecimento legal da pluralidade de relações familiares presentes na sociedade. Nesse contexto, pode-se apontar o surgimento da legislação sobre a guarda compartilhada como uma possível resposta às novas configurações familiares. Este estudo teve por objetivo compreender os aspectos que se apresentam no cotidiano dos operadores do Direito sobre a aplicabilidade do instituto da guarda compartilhada e os principais entraves à sua utilização. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de caráter qualitativo, com a participação de quatro juízes e quatro promotores, de cidades da região central do Rio Grande do Sul. O estudo ocorreu a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas e a análise dos dados foi realizada por meio da Análise de Conteúdo. Os participantes assinalaram algumas questões que podem estar interferindo na aplicabilidade da guarda compartilhada: o conflito entre os responsáveis; a obrigatoriedade do pagamento dos alimentos; a influência dos advogados; a idade das crianças, entre outros. Evidencia-se que a aplicabilidade deste instituto mostra-se um desafio e um objetivo a ser alcançado. Dessa forma, compreende-se que ponderar e superar cada uma das questões que foram mencionadas converte-se em um desafio cotidiano para todos os profissionais que atuam com relações familiares no contexto pós-divórcio. (AU)

The legalization of divorce in Brazil allowed the legal recognition of the plurality of family relations present in society. In this context, one can point to the emergence of joint custody legislation as a possible response to new family configurations. The study aimed to understand the aspects that are presented in the daily routine of the operators of the Law on the applicability of joint custody institute and the main obstacles to its use. Therefore, a qualitative research was carried out, with the participation of four judges and four prosecutors, from cities in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. The study was carried out through semi-structured interviews and data analysis was performed through Analysis of Content. The participants pointed out some issues that may be interfering in applicability of joint custody: the conflict between guardians, the obligation to pay food; the influence of lawyers; children's age; among others. It is evident that the use of joint custody is a challenge and a goal to be achieved. Thus, it is understood that pondering and overcoming each of the issues that have been mentioned becomes a daily challenge for all professionals who work with post-divorce family relationships. (AU)

La legalización del divorcio en Brasil permitió el reconocimiento legal de la pluralidad de las relaciones familiares presentes en la sociedad. En este contexto, se puede señalar el surgimiento de una legislación de guardia compartida como una posible respuesta a las nuevas configuraciones familiares. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo comprender los aspectos que se presentan en la rutina diaria de los operadores de la Ley sobre la aplicabilidad del instituto de la custodia compartida y los principales obstáculos para su uso. Para tanto, se realizó una investigación cualitativa, con la participación de cuatro jueces y cuatro promotores, de ciudades de la región central de Rio Grande do Sul. El estudio se realizó a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y el análisis de datos se realizó a través de Análisis de Contenido. Los participantes señalaron algunos problemas que pueden estar interfiriendo en la aplicabilidad de la guardia compartida: el conflicto entre los guardianes; la obligación de pagar los alimentos; la influencia de los abogados; edad de los niños; entre otros. Es evidente que el uso de la custodia compartida es un desafío y un objetivo a alcanzar. Por lo tanto, se entiende que reflexionar y superar cada uno de los problemas que se han mencionado se convierte en un desafío diario para todos los profesionales que trabajan con las relaciones familiares posteriores al divorcio. (AU)

Health consequences of child removal among Indigenous and non-Indigenous sex workers: Examining trajectories, mechanisms and resiliencies.

The child protection system can be a highly consequential institution for mothers who are sex workers, yet scant attention has been paid to the health consequences of its policies on this population. Drawing on 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 19 Indigenous and 12 non-Indigenous sex workers in Vancouver, Canada, and using the stress process model and the concept of slow violence, this study proposes a typology of four trajectories through which child removal by this system shaped sex workers' health. Results suggest that child removal has health consequences beyond the conventionally thought of mechanism of mental distress and related health sequelae, to additionally alter women's social conditions, which also carried risks for health. Notably, while trajectories of Indigenous and non-Indigenous sex workers were similar, Indigenous participants, whose families are disproportionately impacted by long-standing colonial policies of child removal, were more severely jeopardized. Findings highlight how child removal can enact violence in the form of reverberating harms to sex workers' health, further reinforcing their marginalized statuses. This study calls for greater attention to how the child protection system (CPS) may influence the health of marginalized mothers, including how health inequities may be both causes and consequences of interventions by this system.

Psychiatric genetic essentialism and stigma in child custody proceedings: public views.

The introduction of behavioral, including psychiatric, genetic information in American courts has gained traction but raises concerns of undue influence on judicial outcomes. We conducted a vignette-based survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults to assess how evidence about a parent's psychiatric genetic makeup and explicit and implicit stigmatizing beliefs about psychiatric conditions may affect key decisions in child custody proceedings. Psychiatric genetic evidence did not affect public perspectives on custody decisions, but it increased the genetic essentialist understanding of psychiatric conditions (regardless of a diagnosis). Explicit stigma was associated with a preference to deny parents with a (or with an alleged) psychiatric condition joint custody. Our newly created Implicit Association Test identified an association between psychiatric conditions and perceived bad parenting. Research to identify effective interventions and educational programs to address genetic essentialism and to reduce bias against people, including parents, with psychiatric conditions is urgently needed.

International Child Abduction: The Complexities of Forensic Psychiatric Assessments Before the Hague Convention.

The Hague Convention is an international intergovernmental agreement that facilitates the return of abducted children to lawful parents across international borders. Children may not be returned if it can be established that the return would result in harm to the child. Forensic psychiatrists may be called upon to provide an expert opinion regarding the potential harm to come to a child, as well as various other psycholegal issues. We discuss interpretations and precedents regarding this law and the possible contributions of forensic psychiatrists. We also discuss two hybridized case examples involving international child abduction and proceedings before the Hague Convention. We will discuss issues that arose after psychiatric evaluations in each case.