making it work : an evaluation of court-mandated parenting workshops for divorcing families

MAKING IT WORK An Evaluation of Court-Mandated

Parenting Workshops for Divorcing Families Cathleen Gray, Mary Jeanne Verdieck, Elizabeth D. Smith, and Karen Freed

with the prevalence of divorce in our country, there is a serious need of services for divorcing families to be reaa’ily available and offered in a manner to increase the use of the services. Early intervention with the divorcing family is critical to help alleviate levels of parental conflict and decrease potential litigation. This article is an evaluation of the first year of court-mandated parenting psychoeducationul workshops. The results demnnstrate the positive effects of the workshops for most divorcing parents in terms of levels of ongoing conflict between parents, children’s adjustment as observed by the parents, parents’ adjustment, and parents’ ability to settle the legal issues of the divorce and keep the chikiren out of the middle of the conflict.

Although divorce is common enough to be considered a life transition (Ahrons, 1994) the experience has long been viewed as a major life stressor, ranking second only to the death of a spouse or child (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). The divorce rate in America has increased nearly 200% in the past 30 years, and the percentage of people marrying is at an all-time low (Bennett, 1993). Currently, less than 60% of all children are living with their biological, married parents, and the percentage of children living with a divorced parent as of 1990 is 9.5% (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1993). These facts represent a major concern of professionals for the well-being of families in the process of divorce, as well as for the well-being of the postdivorce family.

The literature clearly demonstrates that divorce constitutes a major, im- mediate, and potentially long-lasting disequilibrium for both the divorcing parents and their children (Gray, Koopman, & Hund, 1991; Grych & Fin- cham, 1992; Wallerstein, 1986; Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1989). Both the divorcing parents and the children need support, conflict resolution skills, and coping strategies to help them return to a state of equilibrium. Many factors after the decision to separate or the physical separation significantly affect the level of disequilibrium for the whole divorcing family. Recent research indicates that the dissolution of the marriage itself may not

Authors’ Note: We would like to thank the Evelyn Stefmon NEF Foundation for providing the finding for this study and the circuit court of Montgomery, Maryland.

FAMILY AND CONCILIATION COURTS REVIEW, Vol. 35 No. 3, July 1997 280-292 0 1997 Sage Publications. Inc.

280

Gray et al. I MAKING IT WORK 281

be the most severe stressor but rather the subsequent events (Grych & Fincham, 1992).

One factor that appears to interfere with both the parents’ and the children’s ability to resolve the crisis of the divorce is ongoing parental conflict (Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1989). Children’s adjustment 5 years after the divorce has been linked most closely to the quality of postdivorce family functioning-in particular, the modification of conflict between the former spouses (Wallerstein, Corbin, & Lewis, 1988). The level of harmony or positive communication between parents is highly correlated with stress reduction and positive social relations for children of divorce. The specific factors that have been identified most consistently as mediators of children’s adjustment are levels of interparental conflict, discipline practices, and quality of parent-child relationships (Grych & Fincham, 1992).

Most literature supports the position that early intervention in working with the divorcing family is critical (Amato & Keith, 1991; Camara & Resnick, 1988; Kelly, 1988; Maccoby, Depner, & Mnookin, 1990). If intervention is delayed, families are already entrenched in both litigation and style of conflict. The children cannot move on with their lives until there is a reasonable resolution to the divorce. Although early intervention is seen as critical, it is also difficult to implement, given the stress levels in divorcing families.

There is the issue of when to intervene and also the issue of how to best intervene. Many interventions have been developed to mediate ongoing parental conflict. However, it is apparent that there is limited empirical research on child-focused interventions (Grych & Fincham, 1992). Of those studied, the most productive and the most effective interventions seem to be group psychoeducational workshops (Grych & Fincham, 1992; Zibbell, 1992).

The psychoeducational group approach may not only alleviate stress but empower each parent to feel competent as a single parent. These groups attempt to help divorcing or divorced parents attain strategies for minimizing conflict between parents. They also help parents to keep children out of the middle of their conflicts. Being caught in the middle of the parental conflict puts the child into a double-bind situation that is not always clearly visible. The double-bind situation has been found to create conflicted feelings in the child as well as fear, depression, guilt, and rage (Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1989). Psychoeducational groups have proven to be effective in helping parents see the double bind their children are in and help the parents work toward maximizing positive parent-child relationships (Kurkowski, Gordon, & Arbuthnot, 1993).

Although such programs have demonstrated their effectiveness in reduc- ing postdivorce conflict (Bloom, Hodges, Kern, & McFaddin, 1985; Stolberg

282 FAMILY AND CONCILIATION COURTS REVIEW

& Garrison, 1985; Wolchik et al., 1990), the programs probably only reach a minority of divorcing families. Most families do not know of or seek out services due to cost, time, and level of stress (Steinman, 1994). One place that all divorcing parents do go is to court. Therefore, the court can be an effective agent in providing psychoeducational programs for divorcing parents.

Most judges agree that the court is not the appropriate arena for family disputes, and therefore there is a clear movement away from litigation in family matters (Hancock, 1982). There has been a clear desire on the part of the court to lessen the adversarial nature of divorce. Many laws have instituted a more social model of divorce proceedings and promote consid- erable movement toward mediation of divorces. Mediation and counseling services are available in many court systems. Unfortunately, many or most parents still do not voluntarily participate in such services of the courts.

Parent education programs are becoming increasingly available in the court systems. These programs, although relatively new and few, are quite ambitious and have several distinguishing characteristics. They are designed to be theoretically cognitive and behavioral, move parents in the direction of problem-solving skills, move parents away from the courtroom, and work toward prevention by early intervention. The programs are frequently mandated as well (Steinman, 1994).

The issue of mandating parenting programs has powerful implications. It makes a strong social policy statement of the court’s intent. Mandating programs also allows the workshop or program to reach many parents who otherwise would not avail themselves of the service.

MAKING IT WORK PROGRAM

Since 1992, the Making it Work program of the Community Psychiatric Clinic has operated in cooperation with the courts of Montgomery County, Maryland. The Making It Work program was developed out of a divorce roundtable discussion group between representatives of the court, the Bar Association, and community agencies. This format provided the link to the divorcing families. This program demonstrates the cooperation between the courts and community agencies in helping families cope with divorce more constructively.

The Making it Work program offers psychoeducational workshops for divorcing parents and other related services. Since September 1993, all divorcing parents in Montgomery County have been mandated to attend a parenting workshop, and about half of them choose to attend the Making it Work program.


The workshops are designed to help parents understand the effects of separation and divorce on their children and to help them move from an often conflictual coparenting relationship to one of cooperation. Many workshops designed to help children of divorce target the children as having common characteristics in response to the divorce. The Making It Work workshops draw on the body of research indicating that characteristics such as age, gender, temperament, stage of development, and level of parental conflict significantly affect the child’s adjustment to the parent’s divorce (Grych & Fincham, 1992).

The workshops are presented in two 3-hour sessions and are facilitated by male or female teams of mental health professionals. They are offered both in English and Spanish. They are a combination of didactic presentation, role-plays, and discussions. Parents may attend the workshops together or individually.

During the f i s t session, facilitators present information about the emotional process of adjustment both for children and parents, the effects of divorce on children based on their ages and stages of development, and ways in which parents can be helpful, especially in knowing the developmental needs of their children.

The second session of the workshop focuses on parenting plans and how living arrangements and access to children can be designed to meet the needs of children at various ages and stages of development. Specific strategies for problem solving and conflict resolution are also taught. Parents are helped to assess their own communication styles and are shown ways in which their communication styles may have a negative impact on the relationship with the child’s other parent. They are taught strategies that might strengthen their communication skills and decrease the level of overt hostility often existing between divorcing parents. The parents are also given ideas about ways of establishing new traditions for the binuclear families and ways of maintaining boundaries in each household.

Handbooks are given to each participant at the conclusion of the second workshop so that at a later time he or she may refer to information presented in the workshops. Resource tables are available at each session with articles, reading lists, and lists of community resources that parents may find helpful.

The workshop facilitators consistently observed that the participants most often began the first session of the workshop with a great deal of hostility and anger directed at the court for forcing them to attend the program. At the end of the second workshop, the tension and hostility in the room were significantly lowered, and parents would engage the presenters in continued discussions of their particular issues with their children or request follow-up services.


There is relatively little current evaluation of such programs (Zibbell, 1992). Such programs are in their infancy. Although the potential benefits seem promising, we need careful evaluation of several dimensions. What are the initial reactions of the parents attending the programs? What are theinitial and long-range benefits in terms of assisting adjustment to the divorce? Which model or models are the most effective? Should courts mandate such programs? This article presents the findings of a 6-month follow-up study of the parenting workshop program (Making It Work), which is now mandated in Montgomery County.

METHODOLOGY

DESIGN

The design for this study was an exploratory, descriptive, quasi-experi- mental design with a pretest and a 6-month follow-up posttest. Due to the difficulties with the nature and logistics of the program, the subjects were not randomly assigned, and there was no control group.

SAMPLE

The sample was a convenience sample taken from the sampling frame of those divorcing parents who entered the Montgomery County court system through custody litigation between May 1993 and August 1994. In May, June, July, and August 1993, the divorcing parents attended mediation and parenting workshops voluntarily. Beginning September 1993, the parents were mandated to attend the parenting workshops and mediation. Attendance of the children at a children’s workshop remained voluntary. The total sample of 275 divorcing parents attended these workshops, 152 of whom were mandated and 123 of whom were not mandated.

INSTRUMENT

This study instrument was a self-report pencil-and-paper questionnaire consisting of 23 questions and a Personal Information Sheet. The questions on the questionnaire related to the expectations of the workshop, the current perceived levels of conflict between the parents, issues of custody and visitation, the parents’ perception of their children’s adjustment, the parents’ perception of their own adjustment, the parents’ thoughts about offering


versus mandating these workshops, and contact with the legal system. The Personal Information Sheet collected demographic data.

At the beginning of each of the two types of workshops, mediation and parenting, the workshop participants were asked to participate in the study. After obtaining written informed consent, the participants were given the two-page Personal Information Sheet and the 23-item threepage questionnaire. At the end of the workshop, the participants gave further written permission to be followed up after 6 months. At 6 months, the participants were mailed the original questionnaire, which they completed and returned.

Demographics. The study sample was evenly divided among males and females at 49% and 51%. respectively (n = 130 and n = 135). "be sample was predominantly White at 78% (n = 203, with 9% (n = 24) African American, 4% (n = 10) Asian, 5% (n = 13) Hispanic, and 4% (n = 11) other. Most study participants fell within the 30- to 50-year-old age range (81% n = 206); within that category 53% (n = 135) were between ages 30 and 39, and 28% (n = 71) were between ages 40 and 49. Ofthe sample, 17% (n = 42) were 29

cation, 36% (n = 94) had some college, 21% (n = 55) were college graduates, and 23% (n = 61) had a graduate degree. Ofthe sample, 18% (n = 46) had a high school degree, and 2% (n = 5) had an elementary education. Ihe study participants were predominantly employed full-time at7996 (n = 207), whereas 8% (n = 21) were employed p&-time, and 13% (n = 33) were unemployed. The income of most study participants ranged from $50,000 to $69,000 annually (21 %, n = 50). and the rest of the sample was more evenly divided among the other categories, except at the lower end of $19,OOO and less (7%, n = 16). Other incomes reported were $20,000 to $29,000 (16% n = 38). $U),OOO to $39,000 (1246, n = 30). $40,000 to $49,000 (1496, n = 3 9 , $70,000 to $89,000 (1596, n = 36), and $9O,ooO and above (1696, n = 38) (see Table 1).

and under, and 3% (n = 27) 50 and over. In terms Of edu-

Marital characteristics. For the majority of the study participants (8196, n = 203), this was a first marriage, whereas 18% (n = 45) reported that it was


Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of Siudy Participants (N = 275)

characteristics Total Samplea Percentaxe

Sex Male Female

Total Race

African American White Asian Hispanic Other

Total Ageb

29 and under 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 and over

Total Education

Elementary High school Some college College graduate Graduate degree

Total Employment status

Unemployed Part-time Full-time

Total Income (joint) in U.S. dollars

19,000 and under 20,000 to 29,000 30,000 to 39,000 40,000 to 49,000 50,000 to 69,000 70,000 to 89,000 90,000 and above

Total

130 135

24 205 10 13 11

42 135 71 27

5 46 94 55 61

33 21

207

16 38 30 35 50 36 38

49.1 50.9

100

9.1 77.9 3.8 4.9 4.2

100

16.5 52.9 27.9 2.7

100

1.9 17.6 36.0 21.1 23.4

100

13.0 8.0

79 .O 100

6.6 15.6 12.3 14.4 20.6 14.8 15.6

100

a. N may not equal 275 due to missing data. b. Range = 19 to 65, M = 36.3, SD = 7.39,


not. Most of the sample fell within the 20- to 29-year-old age range (67%, n = 163), with 10% (n = 24) at age 19 and under, 13% (n = 32) at ages 30 to 34,7% (n = 16) at ages 35 to 39, and 3% (n = 8) at age 40 and over. At the time of the study, 86% (n = 236) were currently separated. Of those separated, the majority 52% (n = 138) had been separated 12 months or less, whereas 18% (n = 48) had been separated 13 to 24 months, 11% (n = 29) had been separated 25 to 36 months, 5% (n = 14) had been separated 37 to 48 months, 8% (n = 20) had been separated 49 to 60 months, and 6% (n = 15) had been separated 60 months or more. In terms of legal divorce, 75% (n = 185) were not divorced, whereas 25% (n = 63) were (see Table 2).

Most study participants (80%, n = 230) had either one or two children. Only 5% (n = 13) had no children at all. A total of 1 1 % (n = 3 1) of the families had three children, whereas 4% (n = 11) had either four or five children. More than 42% (n = 110) reported the age of their youngest child to be between 1 and 4,37% (n = 96) reported the age of the youngest child to be between 5 and 9, and 21% (n = 69) reported the age of the youngest child to be between 10 and 16. The oldest child’s age of this sample fell predominantly in the range of 5 to 9 years (39%, n = 101). Of the sample, 22% (n = 57) had an oldest child between ages 1 and 4,28% (n = 73) ranged from ages 10 to 14, 8% (n = 22) ranged from ages 15 to 19, and 3% (n = 8) ranged from ages 20 to 29 (see Table 3).

Descriptively, the mandated and nonmandated groups were compared and found to be comparable. There were no significant differences between the groups, allowing for the assumption of the homogeneity of the sample.

One further finding: Of the entire sample of 275, 152 were mandated to attend the parenting workshops, and 123 were not mandated. Of the 152 mandated participants, only 45 agreed to be in the follow-up group 6 months later. Of the 123 nonmandated participants, 70 agreed to the follow-up.

T TESTS FOR PAIRED SAMPLES

T tests for paired samples were conducted, comparing the mandated and nonmandated groups on the survey questions-beginning and follow-up. Although there were one or two statistically significant findings, these findings were not consistent and no clear pattern emerged. Therefore, the sample was treated as a whole. Paired t tests between beginning and follow-up questions on both mandated and nonmandated participants who agreed to the follow-up (n = 115) found 13 improved areas of statistical significance at the p < .05 level and below.


Table 2 Marital Characteristics of Study Participants (N = 275)

characteristics Total Sample’ Percentage

Fmt marriage YeS No

Total ~ g e at marriageb

19andunder 20to24 25to29 30to34 35 to 39 4 O d O V a

CIlmntly separated Total

YeS No

T d T u n e d

12rmnthrandunda 13to24mnths 25to36monlhs 37to48monlhs 49to60m0nlhs 6omonthpandova

TOtd

YeS No

T d

k g a l d i m

203 45

24 86 77 32 16 8

236 37

138 48 29 14 24l 15

63 185

81.9 18.1

100

9.9 35.4 31.7 13.1 6.6 3.3

100

86.5 13.5

100

52.3 18.2 10.9 5.3 7.6 5.7

100

25.4 74.6

100

a Nmaynotcqaal275datomissingdata b. Rspsc = 15 to 48, M = 26.0, SD = 5.847. c. Range = 1 to 96, M = 20.64. SD = 22.35.

Parents reported several positive results regarding the children. They reported improved communication skills with their children (t = 2.01, p < .047), that the children’s adjustment to the separation improved (t = 4.07, p < .OOO), that children were less caught up in an alliance with either parent (t = -3.33, p < .OOO), and that the children had returned to normal activity (t = -2.09, p < .OOO). The parents also reported improvement in the coparenting relationship (t = -3.64, p < .O00). Their understanding of the emotional process of divorce improved (t = -3.05, p < .003), their communication with

Gray et al. /MAKING IT WORK 289

Table 3 Family Characienstics of ihe Study Pam’cipanis

characteristics Total Sample’ Percentage

Number of children zero one TWO Three Four Five

Total Age of youngest childb

l t o 4 5to9 10 to 16

Total Age of oldest child

l t o 4 5to9 10 to 14 l5to 19 2oto29

Total

13 91

1 29 31 9 2

110 % 69

57 101 73 22

8

4.7 33.1 46.9 11.3 3.3 .7

100

42.1 36.7 21 .o

100

21.8 38.6 27.9 8.4 3.1

100

a. Nmaynotequal275duetomissingdata b. = 1 to 16. M = 6.0, SD = 3.553. C. Range=1 to29,M=8.7,7.D=5.115.

their former spouse improved (t = -4.73, p < .ooO), and their ability to keep the children from the parental conflict improved (r = - 4 . 1 2 , ~ < .OOO). In terms of the workshop, the parents reported that they thought the workshop would be helpful to others (r = -5.83, p < .OOO). They also reported that counseling and parent training should be offered by the court (r = -6.34, p < .OOO) and, in fact, mandated ( r = -4.43, p < .ooO). The patents’ willingness to pay for the counseling and parent training increased (r = -3.41, p < .001). In terms of the court. parents reported that the number of meetings with attorneys and mediators decreased (t = -3.79, p < .OOO) (see Table 4).

DISCUSSION

The parenting workshops evaluated by this study were designed to increase adaptation to the divorce, reduce parental conflict, and decrease

290 FAMILY AND CONCLLIATION COURTS REVIEW

Table 4 T Tests for Paired Samples: Beginning and 6-Month Follow-Up (n = 115)

Improvement t P

Children Communication skills with children Children’s adjustment to the separation Children caught in alliance with each parent Children returned to normal activity

Understanding the emotional process of divorce Coparental relationship Communication with former spouse Ability to keep children from parental conflict

Workshop would be helpful to others Counseling and parent training should be offered by court Counseling and parent training should be mandated by court Parents willing to pay for counseling and parent training

Number of meetings with attorneys and mediators

coparenting

Workshop

court

2.01 .047 4 . 0 7 .Ooo -3.33 .Ooo -2.09 .Ooo

-3.05 -3.64 4 . 7 3 4 . 1 2

-5.83 -6.34 4 . 4 3 -3.41

-3.79

.003

.Ooo

.Ooo

.Ooo

.Ooo

.Ooo

.Ooo

.001

.Ooo

continued litigation. The sample studied was a suburban population of middle- to upper-class, mostly White divorcing families who had begun the legal process of divorce. The research revealed many positive results of the program. At the 6-month follow-up, participants reported statistically significant (p < .05) improvement in 13 areas, which indicates that the program appears to be having a positive clinical impact. Between the beginning of the workshop and at the 6-month follow-up, the parents observed improvement in their own adjustment to the divorce and improved communication skills with their children. These findings are consistent with the literature regarding positive adjustment to divorce (Ahrons, 1994; Gray et al., 1991; Steinman, 1994). The parents reported that they were able to keep the children out of their conflicts with their former partner and decrease the struggles over custody, visitation, and coparenting in general. These factors are critical to children’s postdivorce adjustment (Amato & Keith, 1991; Ahrons, 1994; Camara & Resnick, 1988; Kurkowski et al., 1993). In fact, parents reported that the children’s adjustment to the separation and the children’s return to normal activity versus preoccupation with the divorce improved.

The number of parents reporting that they felt this workshop would be helpful to others if not themselves increased. Parents reported that counseling and parent training should be offered by the court and that this counseling

Gray et al. /MAKING IT WORK 291

and parent training should be mandated. Parents also reported that they were willing to pay for such counseling and parent training. Finally, the number of meetings with attorneys and mediators decreased. All of these factors are preliminary indicators that the Making It Work program is successful in meeting many of its stated goals.

In conclusion, it appears that courts and community agencies need to join forces to provide services for divorcing families that are more than just accessible. Due to the levels of stress that occur during the divorce process, many families may not have the psychological resources available to seek out parenting workshops or other psychoeducational programs. When offered by the court, or even mandated, the services are brought to the awareness of the families and subsequently made available. More effective conflict resolution skills and communication and parenting skills may be learned by attending such programs. The divorcing family in distress then becomes empowered to make the necessary transition to a binuclear family.

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Gathleen Gray, PhD.. is an associate pmfessor of social wonk at N~ crrtlrolic School ofsocinl Service, The Catholic University OfAmerica Washington. D.C. She is ako in private practicr in Whingtron. D.C.

Mary Jean Venfieck, PkD., is an associate pmjbsor @social wonk at National catltolic School

Elimbeth Smith, D.S.I. is an assuch@ pnrfcssor of social wonk at Natianal M c schwl of Social Service, Thc Catholic University ofAmrica. Wavhingion, D.C.

Service, The Cbtholic University qfAmerica. Hhrhingran. D.C.

K m n Freed LC.S.I-C.. is inprivarCpmcriCr m Eethesda, Maykmd

making it work : an evaluation of court-mandated parenting workshops for divorcing families

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