| With the conceptualization of post-divorce families as "single parent families", the nonresident parents' participation in post-divorce families and its impact on children's adjustment had not been examined in Hong Kong studies so far. To bridge the knowledge gap, this study aimed at exploring some common patterns of nonresident parents' participation in post-divorce co-parenthood, the possible facilitating factors for their participation and the impact of their participation on their children's self-esteem.;The study adopted a post-positivism paradigm using both quantitative and qualitative methods. It organized into three phases: the pretest for the main study, the main survey study that involved 69 post-divorce families and five follow-up focus groups for the dissemination of the study results.;It was found that "parallel parenting" was a common post-divorce co-parenting arrangement amongst the respondents. Mutual support, nonresident parents' emotional bonding with children, adoption of constructive conflict resolution tactics and role flexibility positively associated with nonresident parents' participation, while the functioning of the residential parent-child system negatively associated with nonresident parents' participation. Nonresident mothers was more active in child-care than nonresident fathers, and sons received more attention than daughters from the nonresident parents.;With a weak direct association with children's self-esteem, the benefits of nonresident parents' participation on the children were contingent on many factors and were far from certain or conclusive. Respondents of the focus groups reflected that the present services had often accelerated the alienation in the divorcing or divorced couples rather than helped in their negotiations. However, it was also emphasized that successful post-divorce co-parenthood depended much on the readiness and adjustment of both parents.;Integrating the findings, a reconceptualization of post-divorce families with co-parenthood as "bi-nuclear families" to include the nonresident parents, strengthening of social work training on post-divorce families such as post-divorce co-parenthood and nonresident parenting and equipping social work practitioners with multiple perspectives when working with families were recommended. Instead of making co-parenthood a norm for all post-divorce families, the promotion of the concept of "forever parenthood" was recommended. Strengthening of mediation service, a stage-oriented typological intervention framework and establishment of supportive services were also recommended. |
