From Conflict to Family Trauma

NCT07134322 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: UniBa - UniSapienza
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 200
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This project will examine the experience of the researcher as expert in the family court dealing with questions regarding family units, in conflict and children, victims of the family conflict, victims of abuse and neglect, often repeated over time.After the first consultation, family conflict often recurs, without regard for the treatment received, returning to the civil courts and sometimes to the criminal courts. There are three possibilities at this point, following the first decision of the court (a) there is a separation that resolves conflicts and leads to an improvement in outcomes for the children concerned; (b) pre-existing conditions specific to the children concerned continue, and the decision of the court regading separation has no effect; (c) conflict between the parents continues, with repeated returns to the civil courts, failure of processes of mediation and negotiation, and continuing or exacerbated trauma to the child leading to worse outcomes; (d) where there is a worse outcome, this may be due to the lack of supports following the expert psychological assessment and recommendation to the court..The forensic evaluation of the family often refers the family to public health services for therapeutic interventions and social supports. The lack of these interventions and supports of public health services may exacerbate the family trauma. This may occur (a) because the family conflict continues in the absence of the interventions and supports; (b) because the family trauma is exacerbated by continuing court proceedings because the conflict between parents concerning the care and placement of the children leads to prolonged legal proceedings and may result in worse outcomes for the children, such as criminal behaviour as this struggle continues. The child is 'instrumentalised', used as a pawn or weapon in the struggle between the parents. The research project aims first of all to outline, on the basis of the data to be acquired, (a) whether there is evidence that the decision of the court guided by the expert opinion and recommendations has a beneficial effect on outcomes for the child; (b) specific lines of treatment intervention and better packages of care and support to enhance good outcomes and minimise or prevent these adverse outcomes, under the supervision of the judge.

Conditions

Family Conflict; Family Characteristics; Family Dysfunctional

Keywords

Family Trauma; Higth Conflict; Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Number of families with resolved conflict at 12 months

  Data collection to determine whether, one year after the judge's ruling that found the parent-child relationship to be broken, the family conflict has been resolved and whether family ties have been restored. Specifically, through the court files of the Bari Court of Appeal district, the lawyers handling the case, and the public services appointed by the court to initiate the process of restoring family ties, we will identify how many family law cases, one year after treatment, have successfully resolved the issue of restoring the previously broken parent-child relationship and how many, however, remain unresolved. In particular: Time Frame: 12 months after baseline (T0) Description: Families in which the interventions indicated by the judge (e.g., mediation, therapy, parenting support) resulted in the resolution of parental conflict, confirmed by the absence of further court proceedings. Unit of Measure: Number of families

  1 year

• Number of children no longer involved in family conflict at 12 months

  To determine how many minors, one year later, are still involved in family conflict and how many of these minors have developed psychological problems related to the ongoing family conflict. This data will be collected by consulting the court files of the Bari Court of Appeal District, the lawyers participating in the research, and the public services that, at the judge's direction, have taken charge of the complex family situation. In particular: Time Frame: 12 months after baseline (T0) Description: Children who are no longer directly involved in parental conflict, demonstrated by restored relationships with both parents or stabilization of custody and living arrangements. Unit of Measure: Number of children

  1 year

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Number of children with restored parent-child relationship at 12 months

  12 months

• Percentage of families complying with therapeutic or mediation recommendations at 12 months

  12 months after baseline (T0)

Study Arms (1)

The study involves conflictual families who resort to the Court to restore parent-child relationship

Behavioral: The aim of this research is to record how many families go to court for the breakdown of parent-child relationships and to understand how many of these families, one year after the judge's ruling, hav

Interventions

The aim of this research is to record how many families go to court for the breakdown of parent-child relationships and to understand how many of these families, one year after the judge's ruling, hav BEHAVIORAL

This is the first qualitative and quantitative study on conflict-ridden families who go to court and involve social and psychological support services. Furthermore, the survey will provide precise data on the extent of the phenomenon being investigated.

The study involves conflictual families who resort to the Court to restore parent-child relationship

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

All families in conflict with minor children who appear in court between January 2021 and December 2023 due to a breakdown in parent-child relationships.

You may qualify if:

• Families with minor children who file a lawsuit
• Parent-child relationships must have been severed with at least one parent.

You may not qualify if:

• \- Families with adult children

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bari Aldo Moro: lead
• University of Roma La Sapienza: collaborator

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Hepatitis A Vaccines

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Viral Hepatitis Vaccines; Viral Vaccines; Vaccines; Biological Products; Complex Mixtures

Central Study Contacts

Lia Parente, Forensic Psychology

CONTACT

+39 3406671553; lia.parente@uniroma1.it

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 12 Months
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Forensic Psychologist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 7, 2025
• First Posted: August 21, 2025
• Study Start: February 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 8, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 20, 2026
• Last Updated: August 21, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share