Families in Transition: A Court‐Mandated Divorce Adjustment Program for Parents and Children

Assessing Custodial Mother Adjustment to Divorce

“…For instance, some studies have suggested that mothers who complete FIT experience better adjustment to divorce than those who do not participate in the program (Brown et al, 1994). The results from the current study support these other researchers, and suggest that differences may be seen in reductions in family conflict and dysfunction and a more positive view of divorce conditions and transition (DAI-R) and lower levels of depression, interpersonal sensitivity, and hostility (SCL-90-R).…”

“…For instance, the FIT program covers three main domains: (a) understanding children's divorce-related concerns, (b) responding appropriately to those concerns, and (c) the development of a cooperative coparenting relationship (Brown et al, 1994). Although the present study measured each of these domains, it did not examine them as independent variables.…”

“…The study suggests the importance of including objective measures of parental adjustment in all studies exploring factors hypothesized to determine children's post-divorce adjustment. The present study provides a baseline for reported psychological symptomatology on the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) (Derogatis, 1994) among divorced, custodial mothers, including those who participated in the Families in Transition (FIT) divorce education program (Brown et al, 1994) and those who did not. In addition, it fills a gap in the literature related to assessment and understanding of the overall pattern of custodial mother adjustment.…”

Parental Divorce: A Protection from Later Delinquency for Maltreated Children

“…For example, it might be useful to utilize a court-supported interventionsuch as a parent education program focused on divorce, parents who do not marry, and parental conflict (Shifflett & Cummings, 1999). Intervention programs also exist that are designed to reduce aggression, anxiety, and depression, and enhance social competency among children whose parents are divorcing and might extend to parents who chose not to marry (Brown et al, 1994).…”

Children's Ability to Cope Post-Divorce

“…The first is the Children's Divorce Adjustment Inventory (CDAI) (Brown & Portes, 1994). The CDAI is a 25-item checklist that serves to assess the child's response to divorce and separation distress, using a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree).…”