The Journal of Psychiatry & LawlSummer 1989 Single custodial fathers in contested custody suits BY GEOFFREY L. GREIF, D.S.W., AND ALFRED DEMARIS, PH.D. 223 A 1987-88 national survey of 1,132 single custodial fathers provided the basis for comparing the characteristics of fathers who gained custody following a court contest with those who gained custody without a contest. Differences were found in the amount of conflict at the time of the breakup, in the level of satisfaction the fathers reported in their relationships with their children, and in the sex of the children being raised. Implications for mental health and legal practitioners are drawn. Battling for custody in the courts is a painful process that can exact both an emotional and a financial toll on all family members. In these usually high conflict situations, parents are often locked in acrimonious fights, each trying to outdo the other in an attempt to gain custody. Children may be asked to make difficult decisions about where they want to live, choices that are destined to divide their loyalties. The results of such battles are frequently psychologically damag- ing to the parents and leave the children at risk, as the usual nurturing that parents may provide may be withheld while the parents attempt to cope with their own conflict. I AUTHORS' NOTE: Partial funding for this research was provided by a Designated Research Initiative Fund from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. © 1990 by Federal Legal Publications, Inc.