Predictors of Children's Intervention‐Induced Resilience in a Parenting Program for Divorced Mothers^*

Abstract

This study examined predictors of intervention-induced resilience in children of divorce whose mothers participated in a preventive parenting program. Contextual, maternal, and child factors were examined as predictors of improved child adjustment using two strategies: (a) within-group analyses conducted with program participants and (b) between-group analyses, in which relations in the parenting intervention were compared with those in a control condition. Between-group analyses showed that children were less likely to maintain program gains in externalizing when maternal demoralization was high or when children's self-regulatory skills were low. Implications for program modification and methodology for studying predictors of program benefit are discussed.

Resilience as Regulation of Developmental and Family Processes

“…The New Beginnings Program (Wolchik, Schenck, & Sandler, 2009) was designed to promote children’s resilience to their parents’ impending divorce, in part by teaching parents effective discipline and conflict resolution skills. Program effects on children’s behavior problems were mediated by mother – child relationship quality (Wolchik et al, 2009); benefits were maintained only when children had high self-regulatory skills (Hipke, Wolchik, Sandler, & Braver, 2002). …”

Positive Events as a Stress Buffer for Children and Adolescents in Families in Transition

“…Items were summed so that higher scores reflected more externalizing problems (possible range = 0 to 66).The 28-item Divorce Adjustment Project Externalizing Scale (Program for Prevention Research, 1985; current α = .88) assessed adolescent report of aggression and hostility. This scale has been reported to have adequate reliability (α = .88; Hipke, Wolchik, Sandler, & Braver, 2002) and is shown to be sensitive to detecting intervention-induced change in relation to aggression and hostility (Hipke et al, 2002). Items were scored on a 3-point scale of 0 (not true), 1 (somewhat or sometimes true), and 2 (very often true).…”

Adaptation to Divorce: An Attachment-Based Intervention with Long-Term Divorced Parents

“…Several methods of intervention with divorcees have been developed, mainly in the United States over the last 30 years (DeGamo, Patterson, & Forgatch, 2004;Everett, Lee, & Nichols, 2006;Hipke, Wolchik, Sandler, & Braver, 2002;Molina, 2002;Sommers-Flanagan & Barr, 2005). Most of the studies carried out are based on the American middle-class population.…”