A new study has found that online parenting skill programs can help children cope with divorce. While mom and dad may realize and accept that parenting separately is what is best for their children, it can still be hard.
It can be hard on mom and dad, whose marriage is ending, but it is almost always harder on children. Children may not be able to understand what is happening, and this can lead to thoughts of self-blame and guilt. Mom and dad want to make sure that their children get through this period as well as possible, but they may not know where to start.
According to Medical Xpress, a study has found that online parenting skills programs can shield children from some adverse effects of divorce. This study was done by Arizona State University, and it can be read in full here.
It is estimated that more than 1 million children in the US are affected by divorce every single year, and these children’s health and wellbeing may be at risk. These children are at risk of struggling in school, having mental health issues, substance issues and even engaging in risky sexual behaviors in the future.
Work has to be done to see what can be done to try and prevent this from happening. The study found that an online parenting skills program for parents who are getting a divorce or going through a separation can help. It can reduce conflict between the two parents as they go through the divorce, it can improve the quality of parenting, and it can decrease the symptoms of anxiety and depression in children.
Sharlene Wolchik, one of the lead authors of the study, stated that while a lot of children are able to “bounce back” after a divorce, there are still many who continue to struggle.
The program, eNew Beginnings Program, is based on 30 years of research into the different factors that impact children and what has been shown to help them. The program is easy to use, as it is web-based, and parents can access it at any time.
Since a lot of parents are concerned about their children through this time, this program could help give them peace of mind, and it could give them the right tools they need to make sure their children are not impacted as much. The program is 10 sessions in total, and it will be interesting to see if this becomes a popular tool for parents.
Sources: Medical Xpress, Wiley Online Library