Pilot Study of an Interparental Conflict Intervention for Separating or Divorcing Parents

Conditions

• Child Mental Health
• Interparental Conflict

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

88 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Family COMPASS — BEHAVIORAL
  Family COMPASS (Conflict Management through Purposeful Awareness, Strategies, and Support) is a manualized, trauma-informed parenting intervention designed to reduce children's exposure to interparental conflict following parental separation or divorce. The intervention consists of four highly structured, approximately 30-minute sessions delivered virtually or in person by trained personnel. It focuses on strengthening parents' emotion regulation, communication, co-parenting, conflict management, and safety planning skills.
• Families in Transition (FIT) — BEHAVIORAL
  FIT is a 90-minute online parent education program developed by the Superior Court of Maricopa County in collaboration with the National Center for State Courts. The program includes four modules, a film, and interactive activities. It validates parents' difficult feelings toward their co-parent while emphasizing behavior change to protect children from interparental conflict. Content addresses the effects of interparental conflict on children, prioritizing children's needs, developing a child-focused vision for the future, and using practical strategies to reduce conflict behaviors.

Study Details

This pilot study will evaluate a new intervention for parents who are separated or divorced and have been court ordered to participate in a program addressing interparental conflict. The intervention is designed to teach parents skills to reduce children's exposure to conflict between parents and support children's well-being. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the new intervention or an existing court-based program. The study will examine the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and usability of the new intervention and its effects on interparental conflict, parents' use of protective skills, and children's mental health.

Key Dates

First listed

Sep 11, 2026

Start date

May 1, 2026

Status verified

Aug 2026

Primary completion

Feb 1, 2027

Completion

Feb 1, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

94 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Arms

• Experimental: Family COMPASS
  Participants receive Family COMPASS, a four-session parenting intervention for parents experiencing high levels of interparental conflict following separation or divorce.
• Active Comparator: Families in Transition (FIT)
  Participants receive FIT, an existing 90-minute online parent education program designed to help separating or divorcing parents reduce interparental conflict and children's exposure to conflict.

Primary Outcome Measure

Child Anxiety Symptoms [ Time Frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion ]

Central Contacts

• Karey L O'Hara, PhD
  480-727-6136
  [email protected]
• Sharlene A Wolchik, PhD
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Tempe, AZ

Related Studies

• The New Beginnings Podcast: Brief Audio Intervention for Parents From Divorced and Separated Families
  Recruiting · Charla Aubrey Rhodes · Tempe, Arizona
• Examining Whether Project Support Works
  Recruiting · Medical University of South Carolina · Charleston, South Carolina
• Experimental Evidence of the Impact of Parental Income on Child Mental Health and Neuroimmune Function
  Recruiting · Northwestern University · Evanston, Illinois