'BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO': AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF COMMUNICATION BEHAVIORS AND PHASES IN CHILD-CUSTODY DIVORCE MEDIATION. (VOLUMES I AND II) (CONFLICT, INTERPERSONAL, FAMILY, SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY, NEGOTIATION)

An interaction analysis of thirty-six, child-custody divorce mediation sessions was conducted to identify critical mediator and disputant communication tactics that affected mediation outcome. Subjects used were spouses and mediators interacting in actual divorce mediation sessions. Sessions were audiotaped from three mediation programs in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Hartford, Ct.;The results of the factor analysis revealed six factors of mediation behavior. These six factors confirmed expectations for functional relationships between behaviors previously identified as critical mediator and disputant strategies. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance revealed differences in the use of major categories and individual category behaviors in terms of levels of outcome, levels of caucus, and levels of speaker (mediator, wife, and husband). Specifically, mediators' Substantive-Directive behaviors are crucial to the achievement of conflict resolution. Multivariate and univariate analyses of nonverbal vocal affect behaviors revealed the significance of positive and neutral affect and the disadvantageous effects of negative affect.;The lag sequential analyses indicated that mediators' Communication-Facilitation and Substantive-Directive behaviors are responded to significantly more than expected by disputants' Integrative behaviors in successful sessions, but not in unsuccessful sessions. While disputants reciprocate Integrative behaviors in successful mediation, they also reciprocate Distributive behaviors in unsuccessful sessions.;Finally, the phase analyses confirms phase expectations postulated by Gulliver (1979). Successful mediation follows a pattern of cooperative negotiation, evolving from differentiation to integration stages, primarily due to the impetus of early mediator Substantive-Directive behaviors. Unsuccessful sessions fail to break out of the differentiation stages, ultimately escalating the effects of entrenched positions.;There were two explanatory variables: mediation outcome (successful versus unsuccessful) and use of caucuses (joint versus separate). This configuration yielded nine successful/joint, nine successful/separate, nine unsuccessful/joint, and nine unsuccessful/separate sessions. The audiotapes were coded by three coders using the Mediation Process Analysis II and Gottman's (1979) nonverbal vocal affect coding system. The resulting data were subjected to factor analysis, multivariate and univariate analyses of variance, lag sequential analyses, and phase analyses.