Enhancing Daily Affect in Youth Experiencing High-Conflict Parental Divorce: A Multiple Baseline Trial of an Online Prevention Program

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a highly interactive, online cognitive-behavioral youth coping program: Children of Divorce-Coping with Divorce (CoD-CoD; Boring et al., 2015) on children exposed to high levels of interparental conflict (IPC). A multiple-baseline experimental design (N = 9) evaluated within-subject intervention effects on change in daily positive and negative affect before, during, and after the intervention (n_observations = 462). Participants were youth ages 11-16 who reported high exposure to IPC and whose parents had filed for divorce or parenting plan determinations in the prior year. A significant interaction effect indicated change in positive affect, but not negative affect, between the intervention and baseline phases. Positive affect linearly decreased during the baseline phase and flattened during the intervention phase. Results indicate that CoD-CoD was effective in interrupting a decline in youth-reported positive affect in a high-IPC sample, which may indicate a buffering effect against depression. Critical future directions include conducting large-scale randomized trials with children from high-IPC families to assess for whom the program is effective and assess long-term effects across a broad range of important outcomes.

Keywords: child mental health; coping; interparental conflict; parental divorce; prevention.

Appendix Figure 1.

Links between CoD-CoD Program Elements and Putative Mediators. Reprinted from “Children of Divorce – Coping with Divorce: A Randomized Control Trial of an Online Prevention Program for Youth Experiencing Parental Divorce,” by J.L Boring, I. N. Sandler, J. Tein, J. J. Horan, and C. E. Velez, 2015, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83, p. 1000. Copyright 2015 by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

Figure 1

CONSORT diagram illustrating recruitment procedures Note. The following legal indicators were used to determine a positive screen for high IPC in court files: response filed to dispute claims in original motion for divorce, court-ordered mediation to settle disputes, orders of protection, petition to modify existing orders, notice of court hearing, filing of temporary orders. IPC = interparental conflict. One participant dropped out of the study prior to completing the intervention and assessments. However, consistent with an intent-to-treat approach, we included all nine participants in the analysis.

Figure 2

Graph Depicting Model-Implied Values of Positive Affect Across Baseline and Intervention Phases Note. The left side of the graph shows scores on Positive Affect during the baseline period; the right side shows scores on Positive Affect during the intervention period.

Figure 3

Graph Depicting Model-Implied Values of Negative Affect Across Baseline and Intervention Phases Note. The left side of the graph shows scores on Negative Affect during the baseline period; the right side shows scores on Negative Affect during the intervention period.