Abstract

Introduction: Divorce is a stressful life event with rising prevalence around the world. Following a parental divorce, adolescents who live in a single-parent arrangement, experience more negative effects of divorce than those who benefit from a co-parenting arrangement. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an after-divorce co-parenting intervention on parenting stress among Iranian adults.

Methods: This study was a randomized control trial with two groups (intervention and control groups) conducted in Tehran, Iran. Participants were recruited through the internet using volunteers and clients of the State Welfare Organization of Tehran. Sixty-two eligible parents were randomly allocated to intervention or control groups and were assessed at baseline and after the intervention. The intervention group received After Divorce Coparenting Intervention (ADCPI) and the control group received no services.

Results: Mothers comprised majority of the custodial parents who participated in the study (91.9%). The majority of participants were divorced in the years after 2014 (88.7%). The results of paired sample t-test revealed the average of parenting stress scores were changed significantly at baseline (M±SD = 111.87±27.81) and post-intervention (M±SD = 93.52±25.49) in intervention group.

Conclusion: The result suggests that ADCPI is an effective intervention in reducing parenting stress and could be included in after-divorce services in middle eastern countries.