Children in the Middle: Reducing the Stress of Divorce Through Videotape Modeling
A video-based intervention (Children in the Middle, first edition) taught children how to respond effectively when caught in the middle of disputes between their divorced or separated parents. Participants were 33 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. After the treatment groups had viewed Children in the Middle , they rated the frequency and stressfulness of situation in which they felt caught in the middle between their parents. Half also received a copy of a workbook (Children in the Middle: Parent and Children's Guide) which promotes goal-setting and skill practice. In a four-week follow-up, children in the treatment groups reported experiencing significantly less stress in these situations (in comparison to a control group which viewed a non-skills oriented divorce video, When Mom Dad Break Up). This change was clinically significant for 50% of the children.