Abstract:
This article presents the results of a qualitative research that aims to comprehend the experiences of joint custody from the teenage daughters' point of view. The method chosen to conduct the study was multiple case study. The participants were three families, with teenage daughters, that had experienced joint custody, whose parents were clients in the Núcleo de Assistência Judiciária (Legal Assistance Center), an entity associated to a Public University located in the south of Brazil. A document analysis of clients' reports, the fulfilment of a form with both parents and adolescents and a semi-directive interview conducted with the teenage girls were used for data collection. Data analysis was based on content analysis. The results pointed out to a satisfactory experience with joint custody from the teenage girls' point of view, and to the evaluation of this category of custody as an important strategy for the maintenance of parents' bounds after a marital dissolution. It is emphasized that adolescents pointed out some difficulties in the relationships with their parents; however, it seems that these difficulties do not interfere in this type of custody.
Keywords:
Joint Custody; Adolescents; Parenting; Family Relationships