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Abstract

Objective. To describe the role of parent well-being in divorce education and to explore the relationship between parent well-being, coparenting, and child outcomes. Design. Data was analyzed using multiple regression from pre, post, and follow-up surveys from 272 parents who took the Parents Forever divorce education course. Results. Changes in positive and negative coparenting significantly predicted changes in child well-being over time, accounting for 8% of the variance in change in child well-being. Parent-well-being significantly predicted changes in child well-being over and above coparenting and, when entered into the regression model, an additional 7.2% of the variance in changes in child well-being was accounted for. Conclusions. Promoting parent well-being is a promising strategy to enhance coparenting education because of its association with the coparenting relationship and child well-being.

Key Take Away Points

  • Parent well-being is important to child outcomes
  • Parent well-being predicts child well-being over and above coparenting behaviors
  • Divorce education is likely more effective and impactful when it attends to parent-well being in addition to coparenting and parenting

Author Biography

Sharon Powell, PhD is an Extension Educator in the Extension Center for Family Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Sarah Cronin, MA is a PhD student in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Ellie McCann, MA is an Extension Educator in the Extension Center for Family Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Jenifer McGuire, PhD is an Extension faculty specialist in the department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Emily H. Becher is a research associate in the Extension Center for Family Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Eugene Hall, MA is a PhD student in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

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