Economic Costs and Policy Implications Associated With Divorce: Texas as a Case Study

Schramm, David G.; Harris, Steven M.; Whiting, Jason B.; Hawkins, Alan J.; Brown, M. D.; Porter, Rob

doi:10.1080/10502556.2012.725354

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…For example, children from single‐parent households are more likely to experience economic hardship, school problems, or impairment of physical and mental health compared with children growing up in a home with two committed parents (Amato, ; Amato & Gilbreth, ; McLanahan & Sandefur, ). The effects of family fragmentation can be seen not only in child and parent well‐being; they also become evident as economic costs in welfare systems (Scafidi, ; Schramm et al, ). Offering relationship education (RE), especially to low‐income parents or couples at the transition to parenthood, is one recent attempt to prevent the fragmentation of these fragile family constellations or buffer the multiple effects of the challenges they face.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Effects of Relationship Education in Low‐Income Couples: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized‐Controlled Evaluation Studies

Arnold

Beelmann

2018

Family Relations

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Objective To investigate the effectiveness of relationship education programs in low‐income couples. Background Relationship education programs have been developed in response to family structure changes over the past few decades that have placed low‐income couples, in particular, at risk. These programs are designed to teach effective communication and problem‐solving skills, which are important resources for the prevention of divorce, single parenthood, and absent fathers, and to navigate complex stepfamily constellations. Method A systematic literature search for studies evaluating relationship education within a randomized‐controlled design in low‐income couples was conducted, resulting in a set of 16 eligible research reports (providing information about 48 independent studies). Weighted mean effects were calculated, and moderators of effectiveness were examined in meta‐analyses of variance and metaregressions. Results Analyses revealed a small but statistically significant mean effect of d+ = 0.10 (SE = 0.03), which doubled when program attendance rates exceeded 50%. Effects were generally higher in less disadvantaged samples (i.e., those that were older, more educated, higher‐income, and more likely to be married). Conclusion Relationship education can have small and stable effects, especially when retention rates are high. Offering programs at the transition to parenthood is a promising strategy. Implications More needs to be done to reach out to the most vulnerable couples and improve participation and retention rates. The present strategies are not sufficiently effective in recruiting and retaining the target population. Combining relationship education with other programs and services might be more feasible.

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confidence: 99%

The Effects of Relationship Education in Low‐Income Couples: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized‐Controlled Evaluation Studies

Arnold

Beelmann

2018

Family Relations

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“…In addition, the cost offset estimate omits costs attributable to the primary outcome of couple therapy—relationship distress and separation/divorce—which are considerable (e.g., Schramm, ). For example, the cost of divorce in Texas, through even limited mechanisms such as means tested government assistance, has been estimated at more than 3 billion dollars annually in state and federal funds (Schramm et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Couple Therapy on Service Utilization among Military Veterans: The Moderating Roles of Pretreatment Service Utilization and Premature Termination

2016

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Couple therapy reduces relational and individual distress and may affect utilization of other health services, particularly among higher service utilizers. Although average decreases in service utilization are predicted among recipients of couple therapy, low utilizers of services may appropriately increase use. The relationship between couple therapy and service utilization was examined among a sample of 179 U.S. military veterans who received treatment in Veterans Affairs (VA) specialty couple therapy clinics. Consistent with hypotheses, overall mental and physical health visits decreased from the 12 months preceding couple therapy to the 12 months following treatment. Moderator analyses showed that decreases were greatest among individuals who were rated by their therapist as having completed a full course of couple therapy, suggesting that change was attributable to intervention. Pretreatment service utilization also moderated observed change-higher utilizers' use of services decreased substantially, whereas lower utilizers' slightly increased. Cost analyses revealed that the estimated per person mean cost in our sample decreased by $930.33 in the year following compared to the year prior to couple therapy, as per 2008 VA cost data. As service utilization data were only available for one partner and only for 1 year posttherapy, the true magnitude of this effect may be underestimated. Our findings are relevant to policy makers as they demonstrate that couple therapy reduces average service utilization and associated costs and addresses calls for analyses of cost effectiveness of systemic interventions.

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“…Dissolving the relationship before marriage may have prevented further serious relationship issues as well as financial difficulties (Scafidi, ). Preventing divorce may have economic benefits as current research indicates that divorce costs Texas taxpayers approximately $3.18 billion annually in direct expenditures (Schramm et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived Relationship Improvement From Premarital and Relationship Education

Kruenegel-Farr

McEnturff

Acker

et al. 2013

Family & Consum Sci Res J

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The purpose of this research was to analyze participants' perceptions of the impact of premarital and relationship education workshops offered across the state of Texas. Regional marriage coalition leaders conducted online and telephone interview surveys of 1,109 participants between 6 and 24 months after participating in the workshops. Research questions included whether participants perceived the workshops as helping to improve their relationship skills and quality, whether these evaluations differed by demographics, and how participant relationship status changed after the workshop. A large majority of participants reported their relationship skills had improved as a result of the workshop. Workshop impact scores generally did not differ by gender, age, cohabitation status, and socioeconomic status. However, Hispanic participants reported somewhat higher workshop impact scores.

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Economic Costs and Policy Implications Associated With Divorce: Texas as a Case Study

Cited by 18 publications

References 12 publications

The Effects of Relationship Education in Low‐Income Couples: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized‐Controlled Evaluation Studies

The Effects of Relationship Education in Low‐Income Couples: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized‐Controlled Evaluation Studies

The Impact of Couple Therapy on Service Utilization among Military Veterans: The Moderating Roles of Pretreatment Service Utilization and Premature Termination

Perceived Relationship Improvement From Premarital and Relationship Education

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