The Effect of Training Package Informed by Divorcing Mothers' Lived Experiences and on Child Vulnerability

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a training program, informed by the lived experiences of mothers on the brink of separation, on their children's impairment.

Methods and Materials: Employing a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test design and a control group, the research encompassed all mothers nearing separation in Isfahan city in 2021, who sought pre-divorce counseling. From this population, 30 participants were chosen via convenience sampling, with 15 assigned to the experimental group and an equal number to the control group. The intervention group engaged in eight 90-minute sessions, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. The Brief Impairment Scale (BIS) served as the research instrument. Data analysis entailed both descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically intragroup and intergroup mixed analysis of variance.

Findings: Findings indicate that the training program, rooted in the authentic experiences of mothers facing separation, significantly influences the vulnerability of their children.

Conclusion: Given that the program was tailored to this specific cohort, validated by field experts, and addressed the psychological distress of both mothers and children, it was effective. Consequently, the results underscore the importance of psychologists and counselors delving deeper into these lived experiences to devise therapeutic interventions. Such interventions, derived from the study's emergent themes, should aim to ameliorate the emotional well-being and diminish the impairment of the children involved.