Children in Between

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Children in Between (CIB), formerly known as Children in the Middle, is an educational intervention for divorcing families that aims to reduce the parental conflict, loyalty pressures, and communication problems that can place significant stress on children. CIB consists of one to two 90- to 120-minute classroom sessions and can be tailored to meet specific needs. The intervention teaches specific parenting skills, particularly good communication skills, to reduce the familial conflict experienced by children. Each parent attending classes typically receives two CIB booklets that give advice for reducing the stress of divorce/separation on children and promote practice of the skills taught in the course. Each parent also watches the CIB video, which illustrates how children often feel caught in the middle of their parents' conflicts.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this program is to reduce the negative impacts of divorce and separation on children.

Impact

Children of parents in the program said they felt caught in the middle less often compared to those of non-participants, and reported less stress in general. Parents who took the course also reported more awareness of their children's feelings, and had better communication with their children.

Results / Accomplishments

Studies show that in terms of parental conflict, parents who participated in the program reported putting their children in the middle of conflict less often than parents in the comparison and control groups combined. Children of parents in the CIB group said they felt caught in the middle less often compared to children of parents in the comparison and control groups combined, and reported less stress in general. Parents who took the CIB course also reported more awareness of their children's feelings, and had better communication with their children.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
The Center for Divorce Education
Primary Contact
The Center for Divorce Education
1005 East State Street, Suite G
Athens, OH 45701
877-874-1365
staff@divorce-education.com
http://www.divorce-education.com
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders
Community / Social Environment
Organization(s)
The Center for Divorce Education
Source
SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP)
Date of publication
Aug 2006
Date of implementation
1992
For more details
https://online.divorce-education.com/
Target Audience
Children

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Related Content for: Children in Between

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.