The efficacy of postdivorce intervention programs for children: A meta‐analytical review

Abstract

Preventive postdivorce interventions aim to help children cope with divorce and promote their adjustment. Nevertheless, questions remain regarding the concrete outcomes of these interventions and the intervention characteristics that influence them. This meta‐analysis of 30 studies analyzes the efficacy of postdivorce interventions on children's symptomatology, personal resources, and adaptation to divorce. Likewise, it explores whether the intervention impacts the putative mediators from the family context and whether the characteristics of the studies themselves also influence the results. Using a data set of N = 4344 individuals, 258 effect sizes were calculated. Random effects analyses evidenced the impact of the interventions on specific variables instead of on children's global adjustment. There were no significant effects on children's mental health outcomes, and none of these effects were qualified by the moderators that were examined. Preventive postdivorce interventions had significant effects, specifically on children's divorce adjustment and self‐esteem. The study of the moderators found that the interventions were generally homogeneous, and only one of the 20 moderators examined had a significant effect. Based on children's age, the interventions had an impact on family functioning only when they involved younger children, but this result should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample of studies. This meta‐analysis provides evidence of the relevance of postdivorce interventions to critical variables as well as information about the role of the intervention characteristics in the effects and makes suggestions for future research on divorce interventions that encompass both practical and empirical developments.

Prevention of Childhood Adversities and Children’s Common Mental Disorders and School Grades

“…Second, our findings suggest that resources should be diverted toward supporting families at an early stage of parental separation, for example, family-based support at child health care centers. Prior research has suggested that interparental conflicts explain a substantial part of the negative effect associated with parental separation; thus, interventions that improve children’s coping with transitioning through parental separation may be most beneficial . Third, our finding that adolescence appears to be a critical period for intervention needs further research.…”

“…Prior research has suggested that interparental conflicts explain a substantial part of the negative effect 36 associated with parental separation; thus, interventions that improve children’s coping with transitioning through parental separation may be most beneficial. 12 Third, our finding that adolescence appears to be a critical period for intervention needs further research. We know that the transition to adulthood is a sensitive time both for parents and children; however, many interventions have been targeted at early years.…”

“…7 These and other, rarer, and less easily identified adversities (eg, neglect or physical and sexual abuse) 8 are related to poorer outcomes across a number of domains, including, but not limited to, poorer mental 4 and physical health, 2 premature mortality, 9 lack of school readiness, and poorer educational attainment. 10 Childhood adversities have been the focus of public health and policy interventions, whether targeted at the adversity itself (eg, welfare payments to alleviate childhood poverty 11 ) or intervening on downstream effects (eg, counseling offered to children whose parents separated 12 ). When resources are limited, there is a need to understand which adversities are likely to have the most harmful effects on children.…”

“…Childhood adversities have been the focus of public health and policy interventions, whether targeted at the adversity itself (eg, welfare payments to alleviate childhood poverty 11 ) or intervening on downstream effects (eg, counseling offered to children whose parents separated 12 ). When resources are limited, there is a need to understand which adversities are likely to have the most harmful effects on children.…”

Can online parent education meet the needs of the courts and improve the well‐being of children? The critical roles of goal, program, and evidence alignment

“…However, the various ways online parent education programs accomplish specific goals in the family courts have not been clearly articulated. In addition, although there is evidence that online programs can meet the needs of multiple populations (see Fackrell et al, 2011;Herrero et al, 2023;Sandler et al, 2024;Schramm & McCaulley, 2012), not all online parent education programs are effective. Illustratively, two randomized trials failed to find strong support that commonly used online parent education programs accomplish a range of goals such as improving family functioning, child well-being, resolution of legal agreements, or relitigation (Rudd et al, 2015(Rudd et al, , 2017Tomlinson et al, 2023).…”