EFFECTS OF SKILL-BASED VERSUS INFORMATION-BASED DIVORCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND PARENTAL COMMUNICATION |
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| Authors: | Kevin M Kramer Jack Arbuthnot Donald A Gordon Nicholas J Rousis Joann Hoza |
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| Institution: | Kevin M. Kramer earned his PhD. in psychology at Ohio Universiry and currently is employed by Aspen Systems in Rochille, Maryland. As an industrial-organizational psychologist, his interests are human resources and organization development, particularly in training, compensation, and change management.;Jack Arbuthnot and Donald A. Gordon are both professors of psychology at Ohio University in Athens. In addition, they are codirectors of the nonprofit Center for Divorce Education, also in Athens, which they founded in 1987. Their professional interests are in the development, evaluation, and dissemination of community-based educational programs for families based on the best empirical research and clinical experience. Dr. Arbuthnot is a divorce and family mediatoc and Dr. Gordon is a child and family clinician.;Nicholas J. Rousis and Joann Hoza are responsible for running and administering the divorce education programs at Hope Haven Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Mr. Rousis is a clinical social worker and school psychologist with interests in custody evaluation and divorce education. Dr. Hoza is a clinical child psychologist with interests in assessment and treatment of youth. |
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| Abstract: | This study used a pre- and postevaluation with a control group to compare the effectiveness of two divorce education programs: skill-based Children in the Middle (CIM) and informationbased Children First in Divorce (CFD). Each treatment group consisted of approximately 125 divorcing parents mandated to attend divorce education in Florida. The control group consisted of 64 divorcing parents not mandated to attend divorce education in Alabama for lack of a program. Treatment and control parents lived in comparable cities with comparable demographics. Results indicate that CIM, not CFD, improved parental communication. Both CIM and CFD reduced child exposure to parental conflict. Neither program had effects on domestic violence, actual parental conflict, or child behavior problems. Across all groups, parents with greater divorce knowledge and communication skills experienced more reciprocal discussions with the other parent, less parental conflict, less domestic violence, and they exposed children to less conflict. |
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