Shared Parenting Benefits: Balancing Enmeshed vs. Disengaged Family Systems

Equal Parenting Time and How It Helps Regulate These Dynamics

Research comparing shared parenting arrangements (where children spend at least 40% of their time with each parent) to sole custody arrangements consistently shows better outcomes for children when time is more balanced. In more than 50 studies, shared parenting has been linked to:

• Healthier relationships with both parents

• Better academic performance and fewer behaviour concerns

• Lower rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use

• Higher self-esteem and greater emotional stability

• A reduced sense of abandonment or “missing” one parent

The pattern is clear: as schedules move closer to a true 50/50 split, children tend to do better across emotional, social, and academic indicators compared to 70/30 or 80/20 arrangements.