Fathers’ Experiences of Relationship Breakdown Including Post-Separation Abuse and Parental Alienating Behaviours

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This submission addresses the running topic of the marginalisation of non-resident fathers, in particular the relative disenfranchisement experience during family court processes involving divorce, separation and custody discussions. Many of the latter are adversarial and because of which, much conflict and pain are experienced by fathers.  Having said this, it is worth while noting that fathers are not the only party that experiences hurt in the processes mentioned.  Children and mother are also sufferers.  Yet the strength of the submission is that its focus upon fathers addresses a hitherto under-researched and less understood group within adversarial family court processes.

The submission has a strong methodology boosted by a healthy sample of 130 men with 30 of the latter agreeing to be interviewed.  The interviews provide in-depth insight as to court experiences and clearly reveal the need for dedicated support for fathers.  Obviously such support may lend a less adversarial aspect to proceedings and, again obviously, children will benefit as a result.  However it can also be said that this needn’t be to the detriment of mothers, because mothers too will benefit from the removal of heat from the processes. 

I look forward to the paper’s appearance.    

Author Response

Comment 1: This submission addresses the running topic of the marginalisation of non-resident fathers, in particular the relative disenfranchisement experience during family court processes involving divorce, separation and custody discussions. Many of the latter are adversarial and because of which, much conflict and pain are experienced by fathers.  Having said this, it is worth while noting that fathers are not the only party that experiences hurt in the processes mentioned.  Children and mother are also sufferers.  Yet the strength of the submission is that its focus upon fathers addresses a hitherto under-researched and less understood group within adversarial family court processes.

The submission has a strong methodology boosted by a healthy sample of 130 men with 30 of the latter agreeing to be interviewed.  The interviews provide in-depth insight as to court experiences and clearly reveal the need for dedicated support for fathers.  Obviously such support may lend a less adversarial aspect to proceedings and, again obviously, children will benefit as a result.  However it can also be said that this needn’t be to the detriment of mothers, because mothers too will benefit from the removal of heat from the processes. 

I look forward to the paper’s appearance.    

Response 1: We thank the reviewer for their positive review.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Overall, it is an interesting article that elaborates the conversation on inequity in xxx process for fathers. The qualitative analyses elevated the voices of fathers who are not as well represented in the divorce or parenting research. I have the following minor suggestions for improvement.

 

1. In line 60- The authors speak of fathers being overwhelmed and the changing landscape of fatherhood. Given that father’s roles, as with all parent’s roles, mental health, and financial challenges have become more overwhelming since the pandemic- it makes sense to add a more recent article in addition to the 2014 article that reflects live in 2024. For instance, Morgan et al. (2024).

2. For the materials and methods- It starts by saying there were 141 participants and then switches to 130. I know the sample is described in a prior paper but it would be helpful to state what happened to those 11 participants.

3. It is important to include in the methods that the 30 interviews were conducted by fathers who were part of the initial 130 who completed the survey and then self-selected to go farther and complete an interview. Similarly, if space permits, include what the eligibility criteria was.

4. For the implication section- You mention the creation of an app to help parents negotiate and communicate. In the United States there are several of these and courts often mandate these such as OurFamilyWizard- anecdotally these seem to work best for non-high conflict couples. Do you have specific recommendations for an app and its content and features to improve co-parent negotiations or a reference to direct them to.

Author Response

Comment 1: In line 60- The authors speak of fathers being overwhelmed and the changing landscape of fatherhood. Given that father’s roles, as with all parent’s roles, mental health, and financial challenges have become more overwhelming since the pandemic- it makes sense to add a more recent article in addition to the 2014 article that reflects live in 2024. For instance, Morgan et al. (2024).

Response 1: We completely agree and I have now added a more recent reference to a new book which contains a comprehensive assessment of modern fatherhood post-pandemic.

 

Comment 2: For the materials and methods- It starts by saying there were 141 participants and then switches to 130. I know the sample is described in a prior paper but it would be helpful to state what happened to those 11 participants.

Response 2: Apologies, this was a typo and has now been corrected.

 

Comment 3: It is important to include in the methods that the 30 interviews were conducted by fathers who were part of the initial 130 who completed the survey and then self-selected to go farther and complete an interview. Similarly, if space permits, include what the eligibility criteria was.

Response 3: We have now clarified this on page 5.

 

Comment 4: For the implication section- You mention the creation of an app to help parents negotiate and communicate. In the United States there are several of these and courts often mandate these such as OurFamilyWizard- anecdotally these seem to work best for non-high conflict couples. Do you have specific recommendations for an app and its content and features to improve co-parent negotiations or a reference to direct them to.

Response 4: Specific examples of the types of apps available have now been added.