Adjustment to Divorce

Parental divorce is the second most prevalent adverse childhood event. Although most children from divorced families do not experience significant adjustment problems, compared to youth in two-parent families, those from divorced families exhibit higher levels significant problems (e.g., mental health problems; school dropout). Analysis of the problems that children face once parents get divorced are presented, and related prevention programs – either child-focused or family-focused – are described. Based on the notion that high-quality parenting mitigated the negative effect of divorce-related stressors on mental health problems, the New Beginnings Program (NBP) is further presented and discussed. The NBP is a theory-based preventive intervention that combines elements from a person-environment transactional framework and a risk and protective factor model. Evaluations of the NBP indicate its wide range of positive outcomes for families and prove that it is also cost-effective.