A Review of Effectiveness of Group Work with Children of Divorce

Abstract

This article reviews the published studies of the effectiveness of major group work programs, mainly implemented in schools, which address the stressful impact of parental divorce on children. Focused short-term program group work has shown to be modestly effective in helping children of divorce. However, methodological issues exist in regard to the evaluation studies, related to research design, program fidelity, biased ratings, and the overreliance on measures that focus on psychopathology and ignore coping and adaptation.

Effects of social group work with survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in a transitional community

“…Women indicated that their confidence improved. The findings are consistent with previous findings that suggest group work is effective in helping vulnerable people in non‐disaster settings (Halperin , Baird , Drumm , Rose ) as well as in disaster settings (Richman , Saylor & Gillis , Zotti et al . ).…”

“…In social work, evidence indicates that group work is effective in helping vulnerable people, such as older people with impaired vision (Baird ), those with severe mental health problems and disordered personality (Malone et al . ), children after homicide and violence (Salloum ) and children of divorce (Rose ). The literature shows that group work is also effective in helping disaster survivors.…”

Using the Best of Research and Practice to Create an Outcome Measurement Framework: A Family Service Agency's Experience

“…First, a meta-analysis conducted by Rose (2009) discussed the effectiveness of similar types of programs helping children cope with divorce. There were several key studies that guided the implementation of the Rollercoaster's CQI plan.…”

Uma proposta de atendimento psicossocial grupal com pais e mães separados

“…Os filhos de pais separados, em especial as crianças, são o público alvo de diversos grupos, sendo que a principal faixa etária participante é de quatro a 14 anos de idade e as atividades propostas são mais estruturadas e lúdicas. O objetivo é auxiliar os filhos a compreender as mudanças advindas do processo do divórcio dos pais, identificar e manejar os sentimentos relacionados ao divórcio (Alpert-Gillis, Pedro-Carroll, & Cowen, 1989;Farmer & Galaris, 1993;Rose, 2009). Os grupos de mulheres divorciadas enfatizam as dificuldades e a sobrecarga das mães no cuidado com os filhos, enfocando no empoderamento feminino para superar as opressões vivenciadas (Forgatch & DeGarmo, 1999;Gómez-Díaz, 2011;Hung, 2012;Molina, Lawrence, Azhar-Miller, & Rivera, 2009).…”

“…A duração dessas intervenções podem ser breves ou mais longas, sendo que Brotherson et al (2010) propõem a realização de apenas um encontro com pessoas divorciadas e defendem a integração com sistemas jurídicos, de saúde mental e comunitários. As intervenções de até dez encontros são semiestruturadas em temas específicos (Cookston & Fung, 2011;Hung, 2012;Lamela et al, 2009;Rose, 2009). Outros estudos defendem uma intervenção mais prolongada que variam de três meses a um ano (Farmer & Galaris, 1993;Forgatch & DeGarmo, 1999;Yárnoz, Plazaola, & Etxeberria, 2008).…”