An experimental evaluation of theory-based mother and mother–child programs for children of divorce.

Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 theory-based preventive interventions for divorced families: a program for mothers and a dual component mother-child program. The mother program targeted mother-child relationship quality, discipline, interparental conflict, and the father-child relationship. The child program targeted active coping, avoidant coping, appraisals of divorce stressors, and motherchild relationship quality. Families with a 9-to 12-year-old child (N = 240) were randomly assigned to the mother, dual-component, or self-study program. Postintervention comparisons showed significant positive program effects of the mother program versus self-study condition on relationship quality, discipline, attitude toward father-child contact, and adjustment problems. For several outcomes, more positive effects occurred in families with poorer initial functioning. Program effects on externalizing problems were maintained at 6-month follow-up. A few additive effects of the dual-component program occurred for the putative mediators; none occurred for adjustment problems.

How Did It Work? Who Did It Work for? Mediation in the Context of a Moderated Prevention Effect for Children of Divorce.

“…We conducted analyses of mediation for each significant main effect and Program ϫ Baseline Status interaction effect of the MP as contrasted with the LC on mental health problem outcome variables (Wolchik et al, 2000) using SEM with maximum likelihood estimation. 7…”

“…The NBP (Wolchik et al, 2000) was designed to change potentially modifiable correlates that, demonstrated by research, were associated with mental health problems for children of divorce. The small theory (Lipsey, 1990) of the intervention is that program-induced change in these variables would lead to (i.e., mediate) program-induced change in children's mental health problems.…”

“…As discussed in the data analysis section, the statistical model for testing this last question needs to include Program Condition ϫ Baseline Status interaction effects as well as program and baseline main effects. Using these criteria, we reanalyzed the data from Wolchik et al's (2000) study to test mediation of the effects of the MP to reduce internalizing and externalizing problems.…”

“…For the prospective model, changes in mediators at T2 were hypothesized to lead to changes in problem outcomes at 6-month follow-up (T3), satisfying the condition of temporal precedence and providing a stronger test that program-induced change in mediators caused change in the problem outcomes. Figure 1 shows the mediation model in a two time-point longitudinal study (see Sandler et al, 1997) We tested either Model I, II, or III using SEM, depending on the findings for each variable in Wolchik et al (2000).…”

“…As noted earlier, different SEMs were tested depending on the findings from Wolchik et al (2000). Table 1 summarizes the statistics for models that had significant mediation effects: (a) the program condition to the mediator variable, (b) the mediator variable to the outcome variable, (c) the direct program effect to the outcome variable, (d) the path coefficients for the Program ϫ 4 SEM at the mean of the moderator variable is the original model and shows the average program effects.…”