Methods of Preventive Intervention in a Program of Primary Prevention of Psychosocial Disorders in Children of Divorce

Abstract

Forty percent of children whose parents divorced are likely to suffer from mental disorder or social maladjustment. A service of primary prevention seeks to reduce the incidence of disorder in the population of children of divorcing parents by reducing the stress for the children and increasing the psychosocial supports that will protect them from maladjustment. We present our conceptual mode which has been the basis of our program in Jerusalem. We focus on three intervention target groups: (a) children of mentally healthy parents who lack knowledge and skill in recognizing the special needs of children after parental divorce and how parents may reduce the stress of growing up in a divided family, and provide their children with guidance and emotional support to cope in a healthy way. We educate these parents through short printed guides and through discussion groups on the premises of the divorce courts; (b) children of disordered parents who covertly exploit family members to satisfy unsolved psychological problems of their own. We identify these parents and draw attention of the judges to the need for the courts to protect the children against their manipulations; (c) children of families who are being victimized by malfunctioning community caregivers. We attempt to influence agency personnel policies to reduce this source of harm. We also alert judges to the need to protect the children in such cases. An essential aspect of our model is the organization of joint study groups for judges and mental health experts to help judges improve their sensitivities and skills to fulfill their crucial role in safeguarding the well-being of children of divorce. Such study groups are based on analytic discussion of recent cases, suitably disguised, which are prepared ahead of time by the judge who present the case in collaboration with a mental health consultant.