Joint physical custody and attachment in early childhood : A scoping review of the research landscape
Funkquist Sköld, Lisa LU ; Alfredsson, Elin and Psouni, Elia LU
(2026)
In Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)
40(2).
p.173-184
- Abstract
An increasing number of children grow up in joint physical custody (JPC), prompting interest in how this arrangement affects their development. Particularly, questions about the impact of JPC on early attachment development have placed young children at the forefront of scholarly attention. Yet, no systematic synthesis of research has examined attachment development in young children living in JPC, nor is there a comprehensive examination of how this research has been conducted. Thus, the present scoping review identifies and systematically compiles all available research on attachment of young children in JPC. Despite frequent references to attachment theory in the literature on JPC, only 10 studies explicitly grounded in attachment... (More)
An increasing number of children grow up in joint physical custody (JPC), prompting interest in how this arrangement affects their development. Particularly, questions about the impact of JPC on early attachment development have placed young children at the forefront of scholarly attention. Yet, no systematic synthesis of research has examined attachment development in young children living in JPC, nor is there a comprehensive examination of how this research has been conducted. Thus, the present scoping review identifies and systematically compiles all available research on attachment of young children in JPC. Despite frequent references to attachment theory in the literature on JPC, only 10 studies explicitly grounded in attachment theory were found, revealing a much thinner evidence base than often assumed. These studies vary widely in forms of JPC, sample characteristics, and methodologies, and their findings are inconsistent. This heterogeneity likely reflects both societal changes over the past 3 decades, of relevance for JPC, and a diversity in how attachment theory is interpreted and applied. Theoretical differences have in turn shaped study designs, methodologies, and conclusions, ultimately influencing how attachment in young children in JPC is conceptualized and assessed. Furthermore, most research emphasizes behavioral outcomes rather than children's inner experiences, limiting our understanding of attachment processes. The review highlights these challenges and proposes directions for more coherent and theory-informed future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
(Less)
- author
- Funkquist Sköld, Lisa
LU
; Alfredsson, Elin
and Psouni, Elia
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-03-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)
- volume
- 40
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 12 pages
- publisher
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:41114941
- scopus:105030951870
- ISSN
- 0893-3200
- DOI
- 10.1037/fam0001413
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 783a6564-e018-4115-a5f6-7ed9699792af
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-21 14:54:40
- date last changed
- 2026-04-21 14:55:16
@article{783a6564-e018-4115-a5f6-7ed9699792af,
abstract = {{<p>An increasing number of children grow up in joint physical custody (JPC), prompting interest in how this arrangement affects their development. Particularly, questions about the impact of JPC on early attachment development have placed young children at the forefront of scholarly attention. Yet, no systematic synthesis of research has examined attachment development in young children living in JPC, nor is there a comprehensive examination of how this research has been conducted. Thus, the present scoping review identifies and systematically compiles all available research on attachment of young children in JPC. Despite frequent references to attachment theory in the literature on JPC, only 10 studies explicitly grounded in attachment theory were found, revealing a much thinner evidence base than often assumed. These studies vary widely in forms of JPC, sample characteristics, and methodologies, and their findings are inconsistent. This heterogeneity likely reflects both societal changes over the past 3 decades, of relevance for JPC, and a diversity in how attachment theory is interpreted and applied. Theoretical differences have in turn shaped study designs, methodologies, and conclusions, ultimately influencing how attachment in young children in JPC is conceptualized and assessed. Furthermore, most research emphasizes behavioral outcomes rather than children's inner experiences, limiting our understanding of attachment processes. The review highlights these challenges and proposes directions for more coherent and theory-informed future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>}},
author = {{Funkquist Sköld, Lisa and Alfredsson, Elin and Psouni, Elia}},
issn = {{0893-3200}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{173--184}},
publisher = {{American Psychological Association (APA)}},
series = {{Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)}},
title = {{Joint physical custody and attachment in early childhood : A scoping review of the research landscape}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0001413}},
doi = {{10.1037/fam0001413}},
volume = {{40}},
year = {{2026}},
}