Pilot Study of an Interparental Conflict Intervention for Separating or Divorcing Parents

Pilot Study to Test Effects of a New Interparental Conflict Intervention for Separating or Divorcing Parents

This pilot study will evaluate a new intervention for parents who are separated or divorced and have been court ordered to participate in a program addressing interparental conflict. The intervention is designed to teach parents skills to reduce children's exposure to conflict between parents and support children's well-being. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the new intervention or an existing court-based program. The study will examine the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and usability of the new intervention and its effects on interparental conflict, parents' use of protective skills, and children's mental health.

This study is a randomized pilot trial of a new, scalable intervention for separating or divorcing parents experiencing interparental conflict. The intervention was developed by adapting components of existing evidence-based interventions using human-centered design methods. The intervention is designed to teach parents skills for reducing children's exposure to interparental conflict and protecting children's mental health and well-being.

Approximately 94 parents who are court ordered to participate in an intervention addressing interparental conflict will be randomly assigned to either the new intervention or an existing court-based program. The new intervention is expected to include an orientation session followed by three or four digital sessions. The pilot study will evaluate implementation outcomes, including feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and usability, as well as preliminary effects on interparental conflict and children's internalizing and externalizing problems. The study will also examine parents' use of skills intended to protect children from interparental conflict and interpersonal violence and parents' emotion-regulation skills.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Fluent in English
• Court ordered to attend an intervention to reduce interparental conflict

Exclusion Criteria: None