Characteristics of parents living apart in Norway: Comparing four residence arrangements

Objective:This study investigates differences in characteristics between parents practicing four different residence arrangements by applying a novel categorisation of residence arrangements.Background:The research field on factors associated with shared and sole physical residence is growing. This binary approach may neglect important differentials within these two groups.Method:The sample included 1007 parents from the FamC-study, recruited from family counselling offices across Norway. Mixed effects multinomial regression analyses were used to estimate the likelihood of practicing four residence arrangements (i.e. symmetric shared, asymmetric shared, extended sole and limited sole residence) based on relevant factors (i.e. number and age of children, time since separation, financial difficulties, employment status, new partners, interparental dynamics and mental health).Results:Parents with more and older children, fewer financial difficulties and who separated more recently had higher likelihood of practising symmetric shared residence. Parents with younger children were more likely to practise asymmetric shared residence. Parents with younger and fewer children and who had been separated for longer had higher likelihood of practising extended sole residence. Lastly, parents with fewer children andwho had more financial difficulties were more likely to practise limited sole residence.Conclusion: The current findings reveal differences between four residence arrangements when expanding the traditional division between “shared” and “sole” residence, emphasising the importance of using a nuanced differentiation of residence arrangements.Key words:post-separation living arrangement, child custody, custody arrangement, shared parenting, shared residence, family policy, divorce