Differentiating substantiated and unsubstantiated allegations of family violence in high conflict families

Family violence is a significant social and psychological issue. Allegations of family violence are common in child custody evaluations. There is evidence to suggest that approximately 50 percent of family violence allegations are unsubstantiated. Therefore, it is important for psychologists conducting child custody evaluations to be able to differentiate between true and false allegations of family violence. The aim of this study was to examine high conflict family law cases to determine what factors would differentiate substantiated from unsubstantiated family violence allegations in child custody disputes. The results showed a number of distinguishing factors between the three groups: no family violence, unsubstantiated family violence and substantiated family violence. The distinguishing factors related to employment history, community integration, parental relationship, parenting, home environment, and timing of application. Limitations and future directions are discussed.