School-based counseling groups for children of divorce: Effects on the self-concepts of 5th grade children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a school-based counseling group on the self-concepts of 5th grade children of divorce. The investigator selected as the experimental group, a divorce counseling group formed and led by a counselor at an urban elementary school. The investigator formed a “waiting list” control group with 5th graders not participating in a divorce counseling group but whose parents were divorced. Also, a second control group was composed of 5th graders whose parents were married. The amount of self-concept change was measured by comparing the mean change in the experimental group's Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept scores (on the pretest and posttest self reports) with the mean changes in the control groups' scores. There were no significant differences between the self-concept gains of Group #1 (experimental group) and Groups #2 and #3 (control groups). However, results indicated that participants in the school-based divorce group appeared to show the greatest improvement in their ability to relate with others. There was a trend toward the improvement of a dimension of self-concept (Popularity) in the treatment group; however, more exposure to the group experience such as long-term/repeated interventions at developmentally critical periods appears necessary to provide children of divorce with sufficient support.