Research measuring the effectiveness of divorce-mediation services and divorce-education programs shows that these services and programs help minimize the negative impact of parental divorce on children. The author discusses the benefits of including children in either intervention, concluding that practitioners who facilitate children's communication regarding their perceptions of parental divorce and its aftermath must manage this task with sensitivity and care.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AhronsC. (1994). The good divorce: Keeping your family together when your marriage comes apart.New York: Harper Collins.
2.
AllenK. R. (1993). The dispassionate discourse of children's adjustment to divorce. journal of Marriage and the family, 55, 46–49.
3.
AmatoP. R. (1993a). Children's adjustment to divorce: Theories, hypotheses, and empirical support. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 23–38.
4.
AmatoP. R. (1993b). Family structure, family process, and family ideology. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 50–54.
5.
AmatoP. R., & KeithB. (1991). Parental divorce and adult well-being: A metaanalysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 43–58.
6.
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. (1995). Parent education program profiles.Madison, WI: Author.
7.
BenjaminM., & IrvingH. H. (1995). Research in family mediation: Review and implications. Mediation Quarterly, 13, 53–82.
8.
BlaisureK. R., & GeaslerM. J. (1996). Results of a survey of court-connected parent education programs in U.S. counties. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 34, 23–40.
9.
BloomB. L., HodgesW. F., KernM. B., & McFaddinS. C. (1985). A preventive intervention program for the newly separated: Final evaluations. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55, 9–26.
10.
BrandS. (Producer). (1995, April 14). 20/20: Divorce school for kids.New York: American Broadcasting Company.
11.
BraverS., SalemP., PearsonJ., & DeLuseS. (1996). The content of divorce education programs: Results of a survey. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 34, 41–59.
12.
BuehlerC., BetzP., RyanC. M., LeggB. H., & TrotterB. B. (1992). Description and evaluation of the Orientation for Divorcing Parents: Implications for postdivorce prevention programs. Family Relations, 41, 154–162.
13.
CummingsE. M., & DaviesP. (1994). Children and marital conflict.New York: Guilford Press.
14.
DemoD. H. (1993). The relentless search for effects of divorce: Forging new trails or tumbling down the beaten path?Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 42–45.
15.
DemoD. H., & AcockA. C. (1988). The impact of divorce on children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 619–648.
16.
DrapkinR., & BienenfeldR. (1985). The power of including children in custody mediation. In EverettC. A. (Ed.), Divorce mediation: Perspectives in the field (pp. 63–95). New York: Haworth.
17.
FisherV. T., & SnyderK. L. (1993). Pain games.Topeka, KS: Menninger Video Productions.
18.
FolbergJ., & MilneA. (Eds.). (1988). Divorce mediation: Theory and practice.New York: Guilford Press.
19.
GeaslerM., & BlaisureK. R. (1995). Court-connected programs for divorcing parents in Michigan: A status report. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 33, 484–494.
20.
IrvinK. K. (1985). Including children in mediation: Considetations for the mediator. Family Therapy Collections, 12, 99–107.
21.
KellyJ. B. (Ed.). (1989, Summer). Empirical research in divorce and family mediation. Mediation Quarterly, 24.
22.
KramerL., & WashoC. A. (1993). Evaluation of a court-mandated prevention program for divorcing parents: The Children First Program. Family Relations, 42, 179–186.
23.
KresselK., PruittD. G., & Associates (1989). Mediation research: The process and effectiveness of third-party intervention.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
24.
KurdekL. A. (1993). Issues in proposing a general model of the effects of divorce on children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 39–41.
25.
LanskyD. T., ManleyE. E., SwiftL. H., & WilliamsM. (1995). The role of children in divorce mediation. In Academy of Family Mediators, Workshop proceedings book: 1995 annual conference (pp. 31–33). Golden Valley, MN: Academy of Family Mediators.
26.
LehnerL. (1992). Mediation parent education programs in the California family courts. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 30, 207–216.
27.
SaposnekD. T. (1983). Mediating child custody disputes: A guide for family therapists, court counselors, attorneys, and judges.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
28.
SaposnekD. T. (1991). The value of children in mediation: A cross-cultural perspective. Mediation Quarterly, 8, 325–342.
29.
StolbergA. L., & GarrisonK. M. (1985). Evaluating a primary prevention program for children of divorce. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13, 111–124.
30.
WallersteinJ. S., & BlakesleeS. (1989). Second chances: Men, women, and children a decade after divorce.New York: Ticknor and Fields.
31.
WolchikS. A., WestS. G., WestoverS., SandlerI. N., MartinA., LustigJ., TeinJ., & FisherJ. (1993). The children of divorce parenting intervention: Outcome evaluation of an empirically based program. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 293–331.
