Divorce Education and African American Parents

Abstract

Programming for divorce education continues to grow, but research on how programs benefit racially marginalized groups remains limited. Through a convergent mixed-methods design, this study examined the experiences of divorcing African American parents (n = 116) who took part in a state-mandated, online divorce education program. Quantitative analyses revealed women reported more problems than men in terms of what they attributed to their decision to divorce, including communication issues, emotional/psychological/verbal mistreatment, mental health, working too little, alcohol/drug abuse, online addiction, and physical violence. Participants demonstrated an improved understanding of divorce-related topics and positive coparenting practices after program participation. Findings from the qualitative analyses paralleled those from the quantitative analyses, as an increased awareness of the impacts of divorce on children emerged as the greatest benefit to participation. Participants also noted their appreciation for online delivery and content, as well as how the program helped them learn more about coparenting. Implications for facilitating divorce education programs with African American parents are discussed.