TY - JOUR

T1 - A Randomised Controlled Trial Study of the Effects of a Digital Divorce Platform on Mental and Physical Health

AU - Sander, Søren

AU - Hald, Gert Martin

AU - Cipric, Ana

AU - Øverup, Camilla S.

AU - Strizzi, Jenna Marie

AU - Gad Kjeld, Simone

AU - Lange, Theis

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Background: Two decades of divorce research has consistently documented adverse mental and physical health effects of divorce. Responding to calls for evidence-based online divorce interventions, this study tests effects of the “Cooperation after Divorce” (CAD) digital intervention platform on divorcees’ mental and physical health. Methods: Randomised control trial 12-month longitudinal study using a sample of 1,856 newly divorced Danes. Mental and physical health were measured using the SF-36 at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months from baseline. Intervention effects were investigated using linear mixed effect models and Cohen's (d) for effect sizes. Results: The study found significant treatment effects of the CAD intervention on mental and physical health. These effects were evident across all eight health domains constituting the mental and physical health components. The study also found that the intervention group had significantly better mental health than the control group at subsequent 6- and 12-month assessments from baseline while for physical health, the intervention group had significantly better physical health at the 6-month assessment from baseline only. Conclusion: The results indicate that digital solutions allowing for individually tailored user experiences may hold great potential in reducing well-known adverse health effects of divorce. Practitioner's points: The study finds highly significant treatment effects of the “CAD” digital divorce intervention on mental and physical health indicating that online interventions may be successfully integrated into help offered to divorcees post-divorce.

AB - Background: Two decades of divorce research has consistently documented adverse mental and physical health effects of divorce. Responding to calls for evidence-based online divorce interventions, this study tests effects of the “Cooperation after Divorce” (CAD) digital intervention platform on divorcees’ mental and physical health. Methods: Randomised control trial 12-month longitudinal study using a sample of 1,856 newly divorced Danes. Mental and physical health were measured using the SF-36 at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months from baseline. Intervention effects were investigated using linear mixed effect models and Cohen's (d) for effect sizes. Results: The study found significant treatment effects of the CAD intervention on mental and physical health. These effects were evident across all eight health domains constituting the mental and physical health components. The study also found that the intervention group had significantly better mental health than the control group at subsequent 6- and 12-month assessments from baseline while for physical health, the intervention group had significantly better physical health at the 6-month assessment from baseline only. Conclusion: The results indicate that digital solutions allowing for individually tailored user experiences may hold great potential in reducing well-known adverse health effects of divorce. Practitioner's points: The study finds highly significant treatment effects of the “CAD” digital divorce intervention on mental and physical health indicating that online interventions may be successfully integrated into help offered to divorcees post-divorce.

KW - digital

KW - divorce

KW - divorce intervention

KW - mental health

KW - physical health

KW - RCT

U2 - 10.1111/aphw.12213

DO - 10.1111/aphw.12213

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32767636

AN - SCOPUS:85089070032

VL - 12

SP - 863

EP - 886

JO - Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being

JF - Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being

SN - 1758-0846

IS - 3

ER -