A scoping review on indicators of high-conflict divorce

A scoping review is performed to develop a tool for signaling the risk of high-conflict divorce, by identifying the most notable indicators for high-conflict divorce, the so-called ‘red flags’. Dutch and international... [ view full abstract ]

A scoping review is performed to develop a tool for signaling the risk of high-conflict divorce, by identifying the most notable indicators for high-conflict divorce, the so-called ‘red flags’. Dutch and international literature databases and key organizations were used as the source of information. As search terms were used: (divorce) and (conflict or fight of battle or disturbance or escalation or violent or violence or hostile or hostility or aggression or crisis or assault) and (diagnosis or instrument or screening or tool or triage or questionnaire or assessment or indicator or sign or predictor or risk or moderator or factor or forecaster or symptom#or characteristic or profile or detect). Sixty-four papers and sixteen instruments covering the high-risk divorce subject were found. The following risk factors discriminating conflictual separations from non-conflictual separations were found: not accepting the separation by one of the parents, conflict / serious disagreements during the relationship, psychological- , physical- or sexual violence / abuse in the relationship, denying the divorce, mental health problems of one or both parents and alcohol and / or drug abuse of one or both parents. High-conflict divorces can also be identified by the effects for children and parents, for instance: externalizing- and internalizing problems, decline of school results, weakened bond between children and their parents and reduced pedagogical skills.