Relational conflict and outcomes from an online divorce education program

Cronin, Sarah; Becher, Emily; McCann, Ellie; McGuire, Jenifer K.; Powell, Sharon

doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.02.008

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Over the course of 4 decades, divorce education programs have proliferated throughout the United States; most separating or divorcing parents with dependent children in common are now required to attend one of these programs (Cronin et al, 2017). Although the length, content, and mode of delivery varies across programs, the overarching goals of all programs are to promote positive co‐parenting relationships, inform parents about how children may view the situation, reduce negative conflict, and help both parents and children make healthy adjustments throughout the divorce process.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By the late 1990s, almost half of county courts throughout the United States either sponsored a divorce education program or worked with community agencies to provide programs for divorcing parents (Geasler & Blaisure, 1999). Over the past decade, parent education programs for separating or divorcing parents have become even more widespread across the United States, with nearly every state offering some form of divorce education programming (Mulroy et al, 2013) and many states and counties mandating attendance for divorcing couples with dependent children (Cronin et al, 2017). The mandatory nature of these programs for couples filing for divorce is timely due to the high levels of conflict between parents that is common during the separation period compared with a year or two postdivorce (Buehler et al, 1997).…”

Section: Historical Overview Of Divorce Education Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Common Practices for Divorce Education

Schramm

Becher

2020

Family Relations

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Co-parenting plays a key role in children's outcomes when parents dissolve their intimate relationship. As a result, educators have developed divorce education programs to support healthy co-parenting and parenting practices among parents going through the process of separation and divorce. Despite much progress, challenges remain concerning how to measure the impact of divorce education programs, limitations in research and evaluation study design, and development and delivery of programming tailored to unique contexts. In this article, we aim to provide scholars and practitioners an overview of common practices related to divorce education. Additionally, we examine promising areas for growth to encourage scholarship that can move beyond describing common practices toward recommending best practices that increase positive outcomes for families who experience divorce.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Historical Overview Of Divorce Education Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common Practices for Divorce Education

Schramm

Becher

2020

Family Relations

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“…Conflict between parents can also be reflected in the divorce process itself, which means more intense and negative litigation over assets and custody, in turn fueling more conflict (Bing, Nelson, & Wesolowski, 2009;Sbarra & Emery, 2008). Continued conflict can negatively affect healthy coparenting behaviors (Cronin, Becher, McCann, McGuire, & Powell, 2017). That said, in situations where parents have high levels of marital conflict and other maladaptive patterns of interaction, divorce can be a protective factor and promote resiliency for children if and as children's exposure to parental conflict subsides postdivorce (Booth & Amato, 2001;Strohschein, 2005).…”

Section: Variables Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parental conflict and the coparenting alliance are interrelated concepts; it is challenging to work as a parenting team when in conflict over dissolving the intimate aspect of one's relationship (Cronin et al, 2017). In some instances, parental conflict and the coparenting alliance can be positively correlated in that greater contact between coparents potentially fuels greater conflict (McKenry, Price, Fine, & Serovich, 1992).…”

Section: Variables Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive Parenting and Parental Conflict: Contributions to Resilient Coparenting During Divorce

et al. 2019

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Objective To examine the influence of positive parenting and parental conflict on the coparenting alliance. Background Research indicates that child and family outcomes after divorce are affected by the quality of the coparenting relationship between parents, with many divorce education programs focusing on coparenting as a core programmatic component. Less is known about how positive parenting and parental conflict affect the coparenting alliance. Method This study collected online survey data from a convenience sample of divorcing parents (N = 430). Participants completed measures of parenting, parental conflict, and coparenting alliance. Regression and simple slope analyses were performed with parental conflict and positive parenting as predictors of coparenting alliance. Results Positive parenting and parenting conflict both predicted the coparenting alliance. Low levels of conflict predicted high levels of coparenting when positive parenting was high and moderate; however, conflict did not predict alliance when positive parenting was low. Conclusion Parents who engaged in moderate to high positive parenting had the anticipated negative relationship between conflict and coparenting alliance, but this did not hold true for parents who engaged in below average positive parenting, suggesting that both parenting and conflict play a role in a resilient coparenting alliance. Implications Divorcing parents' parenting skills may be important to consider when deciding on prevention and intervention efforts aimed at supporting their coparenting alliance. Therefore, divorce education programs may benefit from incorporating content related to positive parenting and parents with weaker parenting practices may need different types of intervention.

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“…For a positive outcome, these challenges should be resolved throughout the processes of separation and divorce, and even post-divorce [ 4 ]. Such studies are also needed due to the proliferation of programs that provide education on reducing conflict associated with divorce and co-parenting [ 3 , 41 ]. Our study addressed this need by examining the influence of DoS on adjustment to partner separation, with the hypothesis that lower levels of DoS would be associated with more psychological adjustment problems and co-parenting conflict following partner separation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between Differentiation of Self and Psychological Adjustment to Separation

et al. 2021

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Many individuals suffer negative mental health consequences such as anxiety and depression following separation from a romantic partner and/or co-parenting conflict due to divorce. Consequently, treating the psychological aftermath of divorce and partner separation remains a predominant concern for mental health practitioners. According to family systems theory, high interdependence and low differentiation of self are associated with a lessened capacity for managing anxiety or adapting to stressful events since intense emotions may inhibit the ability to cope. To assess the relationship between differentiation of self and psychological adjustment to separation, 84 divorced adults completed an online survey. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that a model based on fusion with others, I-position, and emotional cutoff was a statistically significant predictor of lonely/negativity. Bivariate correlation analyses confirmed significant linear relationships between fusion with others, lonely/negativity, and co-parenting conflict. No differences between genders were found. There is a continuing need to develop interventions to address the negative consequences of divorce, help reduce emotional suffering, and encourage healthy co-parenting. Individuals struggling with psychological adjustment post-divorce, or those seeking education for managing the psychological effects of divorce and co-parenting, may benefit from counseling strategies that incorporate an assessment of differentiation of self and psychological adjustment to separation.

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Relational conflict and outcomes from an online divorce education program

Cited by 26 publications

References 26 publications

Common Practices for Divorce Education

Common Practices for Divorce Education

Positive Parenting and Parental Conflict: Contributions to Resilient Coparenting During Divorce

The Relationship between Differentiation of Self and Psychological Adjustment to Separation

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