Factors Related to Custody,Visitation, and Child Support for Divorced Fathers

This study explores factors associated with variables related to custody, visitation, and child support for divorced fathers. One hundred twenty-five divorced fathers were randomly selected from court records in Roanoke County, Va. The majority of these men were noncustodial parents. Survey questions fell into one of five categories: ( 1 ) children, (2) circumstances surrounding the divorce, (3) relationship with the former spouse, (4) economic variables and, (5) background variables. In an exploratory analysis, stepwise multiple regression was utilized in order to develop a subset of independent variables that were useful in predicting the following dependent variables: custody satisfaction, visitation frequency, visitation quality, child support paid, and satisfaction with child support. Results and implications are discussed.