Protecting Children After a Divorce: Efficacy of Egokitzen—An Intervention Program for Parents on Children’s Adjustment

Abstract

The objective of this study is to present the psychoeducational program Egokitzen, a post-divorce intervention for parents and preliminary data on its efficacy, by means of a quasi-experimental design with a wait-list comparison group. This program-Egokitzen-has been recently published following years of development, pilot tests and adaptation, and comprises 11 weekly intervention sessions that focus on three major blocks of content: (a) divorce in itself, (b) interparental conflict; and (c) parenting styles and discipline. Thirty-four parents, with a total number of 51 children-aged 2-23 years-took part in the study. Participants completed measures of interparental conflict, family communication, perception of family relationships, parental symptomatology and children's aggressive and anxiety/depression symptoms before, after the intervention and 6 months on completion of the program. Significant differences were found in terms of the perceived conflict and children's mental health symptoms, especially in the 6-moth follow-up period. More structural variables, such as communication, family satisfaction or parent-child relationships, seem to require more time for noticeable change and stability. We can conclude that, even though the results are exploratory, the Egokitzen program is a very promising initiative for helping prevent and fostering the healthy psychological development of children who are going through the parental divorce process.

Psychoeducational interventions in adolescent depression: A systematic review

“… Control: Waiting list. Martinez-Pampliega et al [32] , Spain Intervention: Controlled trial 34 parents, total of 51 children (31 females: 25 males), aged 2–23 years (including 6 family controls). Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL); Symptoms Checklist (parental) (SCL-90); O’Leary-Porter Scale of Marital Conflict (OPS); Family Communication Scale.…”

“…A controlled (exploratory) trial of ‘Egokitzen’, a post-divorce intervention for parents and their children, comprised 11 weekly sessions on divorce, interparental conflict, and parenting styles/discipline [32] . Thirty-four parents and 51 children (aged 2–23 years) participated, and six parents and nine children were in a comparison group (waiting list).…”

Gestión del régimen de visitas, intercambios y comunicación con los hijos e hijas durante la pandemia de la COVID-19

“…Por extensión, si la ruptura de pareja de los progenitores se considera una experiencia adversa de la infancia (Crouch et al, 2020), y un problema de salud pública (Salem, Sandler, & Wolchik, 2013), los resultados aquí encontrados, de forma holística, refuerzan la necesidad de implementar programas que refuercen la competencia parental para gestionar eficazmente las contingencias adversas que se les presentan. La evidencia científica avala de forma sistemática la eficacia de estos programas, tal que deberían formar parte de las políticas públicas (Martínez-Pampliega et al, 2015;Novo et al, 2019;Pruett & Cornett, 2017) Por último, una lectura de los resultados, bajo el prisma del principio de igualdad entre hombres y mujeres, posibilita concluir que, pese a lo que se ha avanzado en igualdad de género en España, todavía nos encontramos que la mujer sigue asumiendo y se le continúa asignando el rol de cuidadora de la prole. No sólo porque son las madres a quienes se le otorga principalmente la custodia (Ajenjo-Cosp & García-Saladrigas, 2016), sino porque en circunstancias de confinamiento como el actual, en la que no se dispone de apoyo externo para cuidar y acompañar a los hijos e hijas (guarderías, actividades extraescolares, personas contratadas, familia extensa, etc.…”

Effectiveness of a Multimodal Intervention for Group Counseling with Children of Divorce in Iran

“…Change of family structure often leads to increased economic and social problems and probability of low psychological adjustment among family members [1]. When family structure changes due to divorce, social isolation may happen to all family members [2].…”