Reaching American Indian Parents Through Online Divorce Education

Abstract

Evaluative research on the effectiveness of divorce education continues to grow, but research is still limited on programmatic impacts for historically underserved groups. Using a mixed-methods design, this study analyzed data from divorcing American Indian parents (n = 153) who took part in a court-mandated, online divorce education program. The study examined participants’ reasons for divorce, understanding of divorce and coparenting plans, and participant experiences in the course. Quantitative analyses revealed that mothers reported more problems than fathers in terms of what influenced their decision to divorce, which included emotional, psychological, and verbal mistreatment, childrearing differences, extended family issues, and physical violence. Both mothers and fathers demonstrated an improved understanding of divorce-related topics and positive coparenting practices. Qualitative analyses demonstrated parallels with quantitative analyses, as an increased awareness of the effects of divorce on children was most frequently mentioned as the greatest benefit to participation. Participants also noted their appreciation for the program's online content and delivery method, while acknowledging how the program helped them learn more about coparenting. Implications for facilitating divorce education programs with American Indian parents are discussed.

Keywords

coparenting divorce parent education programs American Indian parents

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