What is divorce education and does it work?
Divorce education is a form of parent education. It is designed for parents who have experienced:
-
Divorce.
-
Separation.
-
Changes in custody.
Divorce education emerged in the 1980s. It was a response to recognition that:
-
Some families experience poorer outcomes during or after divorce.
-
Improvements in parental knowledge and behavior change could improve outcomes.
Most states have court mandates related to parental education. Parents experiencing a divorce, separation, or custody change are often required to take education. The goal is to improve child and family outcomes.
As of 2013, Parents Forever was one of 20 Extension-based divorce education programs offered nationwide.
A meta-analysis conducted in 2011 by Fackrell, Hawkins and Kay found that:
-
Divorce education programs are moderately effective in improving outcomes for parents and families.
-
Programs need to test their effectiveness using more rigorous study designs. This would help the further bolster their claim of effectiveness.
Extension has evaluated Parents Forever™ for over a decade. Get more information on the Completed Parents Forever™ research and evaluation projects.
Fackrell, T. A., Hawkins, A. J., & Kay, N. M. (2011). How Effective Are Court-Affiliated Divorcing Parents Education Programs? A Meta-Analytic Study. Family Court Review, 49(1), 107–119.
Mulroy, M. T., Riffe, J., Brandon, D., Lo, Y. A., & Vaidyanath, H. (2013). Serving the Needs of Separating and Divorcing Families: A National Survey of Extension Parenting Education Programs and Resources. Journal of Extension, 51(2).