MARITAL RECONCILIATION AND DIVORCE DECISION MAKING

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1013287
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2017
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2020
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108

Performing Department
Family Social Science

Non Technical Summary
On two different occasions, we have collected information from 3000 married individuals with regard to any thoughts they may have been having about divorce. Further, we interviewed 30 of these people twice, a year apart, to learn more about what they are thinking about divorce and how those thoughts have impacted their marital status. We are getting this information because we know very little about the many things people consider when they think about getting a divorce. If we knew more about this process we might be able to prevent unnecessary divorces (hypothesized to be about 10% of all divorces in the US).

Animal Health Component

30%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

30%

Developmental

20%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
802	6020	3070	100%

Knowledge Area
802 - Human Development and Family Well-Being;

Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology;

Keywords

divorce

divorce ideation

martial reconciliation

discernment counseling

Goals / Objectives
1.To investigate the phenomenon of divorce decision-making experienced by married couples, including an investigation of thoughts and actions regarding marital reconciliation.2.To understand more about the effectiveness of "Discernment Counseling" in helping couples make decisions about marital dissolution and reconciliation.

Project Methods
A multi-phased and longitudinal study in collaboration with colleagues at Brigham Young University, The Utah State University, Montana State University, The University of Alberta, and The University of North Texas (and the Chickasaw Nation) will be conducted. We employed a large-scale, online market research company (YouGov) to collect data for this study. A nationally representative sample of married people in the US (n=3000) were initially surveyed in 2015 and asked a variety of questions about their marriages, and their thoughts of divorce. Several questions covered personal demographics (i.e., children, years married, gender, age, education, income, relationship history, etc.), marital quality, divorce ideation, couple and extra-couple communication about divorce, reasons for considering divorce, and perceptions of problems within the marriage. The survey was re-administered one year later to as many of the original participants as would participate (n=2,256). We then investigated changes in and groupings of similar "thinkers" of divorce.Independent variables included sample demographics that have been shown to have an impact on marriage and divorce (i.e., education, socioeconomic status, previous marriage status, children, age, and religiosity). For the quantitative analysis dependent variables included constructs such as marital status, participant assessments of marital stability and satisfaction, and assessments of family functioning. To investigate our research aims, first, we employed descriptive analyses of the key divorce ideation questions from the Time 1 survey. We then employed Latent Class Analyses (LCA), combining participants' Time 1 responses to all the divorce ideation questions (described in the Measures section) to search for distinct classes or groups of thinkers. Finally, we looked descriptively at changes in divorce ideation at Time 2, and then used Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) to examine change and stability in divorce ideation over a 1-year period. LTA estimates class membership at each time point using LCA and then evaluates changes in class membership over time, producing transition probabilities (of Time 2 class membership conditioned on Time 1 membership).To determine if those who did not respond at Time 2 did so randomly or if certain types of thinkers were more likely to drop out, we used the BCH procedure--an alternative to the 3-step procedure which considers the uncertainty of latent classification when making between-class comparisons--to evaluate if different thinkers varied in their likelihood of dropping out by Time 2. Given these results, those who dropped out of the study at Time 2 were retained in the LTA analysis examining changes between types of thinkers.In the qualitative interviews the emphasis will be on the split between internal (self talk) versus external (talking with others) dialogue that people conduct when they are on the precipice of a divorce decision. Also, the nature and tenor of the self/other talk will be assessed (i.e., does it seem to be a calm reasoning as opposed to a more emotionally charged debate?) Additional topics to be analyzed in the qualitative data include how one's identity shapes and impacts divorce decision making, the metaphors people use to describe the decision making process, and the role of children and money in divorce decisions. Finally, we are interested in knowing if the initial in-depth interview had an "intervention" quality on the lives of those whom we interviewed.As part of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project (Dr. Harris serves this project as the Associate Director for Training and Evaluation), researchers will conduct a variety of studies to evaluate the effectiveness of "Discernment Counseling," a clinical protocol for engaging couples on the brink of divorce. Data have been collected on over 100 couples who have engaged in this process. Previous analysis of this data indicate success with helping couples investigate options for restoring health to their relationships and avoiding divorce. Additional studies will focus on the effectiveness of training clinicians in the "Discernment Counseling" protocol including an analysis of those who have received both basic and advanced training in the model. Additional studies on the discernment counseling protocol will be proposed as the model is developed.Both the National Divorce Decision Making Project (NDDMP) and the Minnesota Couples on the Brink (COB) project focus on the concept of divorce ideation, however they have different aims. The information gleaned from the NDDMP will be used in training and research conducted on the Discernment Counseling protocol being developed by the COB researchers. Plans to enhance the design and strategize about implementation of the next phases of this research will begin in the fall of 2017.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences include professionals and academics doing research on divorce decision making and divorce prevention. Clinicians who work with couples on the brink of divorce and are in the thoes of relationship decision making are also an audience. Finally, some interested stake holders are the couples themselves who are striving to get greater clarity and confidence in their relationship decision making. Changes/Problems:Most of the challenges I've faced in the past year are related to my inability to provide some services and conduct trainings as I was scheduled due to the Corona Virus response. My plan is to adapt to this special circumstance and see what efforts I can make to conduct business at a distance (via zoom teleconferencing) and even expand to populations that I may have not had access to in the past. All in all the year has been rather successful given the limitations I've experienced. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?My colleague and I are currently in conversations with counseling centers in Singapore who have expressed an interest in training their therapists on how to do provide couples therapy and discernment counseling to high risk couples in their country. These conversations are at initial stages. Also, I have been contacted by the Utah State Extension service to provide a training on divorce decision making to couples who will be attending their annual Marriage Celebration meeting (February 2021). I continue to seek out opportunities to expand my reach and offer trainings to those interested in this clinical approach (Discernment Counseling) and research on divorce decision making. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Most of the results of my work have been disseminated through peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The focus of this project has been on couples who are in the throes of deciding whether to leave their marriages or stay in them and work to get them healthier. I have teamed up with colleagues from different universities to investigate processes related to divorce ideation and relationship decision-making. Funding for this project has resulted in seven peer reviewed manuscripts that are in print or have been accepted for publication. Additionally, a book chapter was written on the topic (couples deciding to divorce or stay in their marriages) with two original encyclopedia entries submitted and accepted on content related to this project. Three different blog posts were written to a lay audience on the topic of divorce decision making and protecting one's marriage from becoming a "Coronavirus victim." Over the years covered by this funding I have presented over 30 trainings on this general topic and trained hundreds of mental health professionals on the Discernment Counseling protocol for couples on the brink of divorce. I have worked with undergraduate volunteers who have assisted with transcribing interviews and coding qualitative data. One of my graduate students did her dissertation on the topic of how money and children affect divorce decision making while another completed her dissertation on the process of marital separation. A doctoral student at a different university worked closely with me to discover how the discernment counseling process helped divorcing couples coparent in healthier ways post-divorce. Overall, I feel that the work I am doing is making a significant contribution to both social science and the lived experiences of those who are struggling with making a divorce decision. We continue to find avenues to explore on the topic of divorce decision making. My professional goals are to prevent unnecessary divorce and premature divorce decisions. To this end, I've been trying to learn all I can about how couples on the brink of divorce make decisions about the future of their marriages. The support provided by these funds has been crucial to the success I've experienced as I follow this line of scholarly inquiry.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Crabtree, S. A., & Harris, S. M., (2020). The Lived Experience of Ambiguous Marital Separation: A Phenomenological Study. The Journal of Martial and Family Therapy 46, 385-398. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12419
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Hubbard, A., Harris, S. M. (2020). A Critical Review of Help-Seeking for Couples Therapy: Clinical Implications and Next Steps. Contemporary Family Therapy 42, 152162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-019-09521-w
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Emerson, A. J., Harris, S. M., & Ahmed, F. (in press). The Impact of Discernment Counseling on Individuals Who Decide to Divorce: Experiences of Post-Divorce Communication and Coparenting. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Allen, S., Hawkins, A.J., Harris, S. M., Roberts, K. R., Hubbard, A., & Doman, M. (in submission). Marital Commitment Uncertainty as a Process: Theorizing about Change and Stability in Divorce Ideation over Time. Journal of Family Theory and Review.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Galovan, A. M., Hawkins, A. J., Harris, S. M., & Simpson, D. (in press). What are They Doing? A National Survey of Relationship-Repair Behavior of Those Thinking About Divorce. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Doherty, W. J., Harris, S. M., Hall, E. L., & Hubbard, A. K. (in press). How Long Do Couples Wait Before Seeking Therapy? A Research Note. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Discernment Counseling for Mixed Agenda Couples - Staff development workshop for clinicians at the Lorenz Clinic - Twin Cities, MN.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached by my efforts during this reporting period include over 200 Licensed Family Therapists in Minnesota, Texas, Washington (State), South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Utah. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We reach out to other scholars and clinicians at professional conferences on the discernment counseling model and the results of our National Divorce Decision Making Study. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, as mentioned above. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to publish from our dataset. We have a writing conference planned for early June 2020 hosted by Brigham Young University and plan to finish up 7manuscripts currently in progress: 1. Allen, S., Hawkins, A. J., Harris, S. M., Roberts, K. R., Hubbard, A., Doman, M. Marital Commitment Uncertainty as a Processes: Theorizing about Change and Stability in Divorce Ideation Over Time. In development for reviewat Journal of Family Theory and Review. 2. Allen, S., Harris, S, Roberts, K. R. & Hubbard, A. Dialectical TensionsEmbedded within the Divorce Decision-Making Process.In development forreview at Family Relations. 3. Allen, S.,Roberts, K. R., Harris, S. Metaphor as Model: Using Metaphors to buildresearch and theory.In development for review at Journal of Family Theory and Review ORAllen, S., Harris, S., & Roberts, K. R.NCFR: What Metaphors can Illuminate about the Divorce Decision-Making Process: Implications for Research, Theory, and Practice.In development for reviewat Journal of Divorce and Remarriage. 4. Harris, S. M., Fenske, S., Bell, N. K.,Allen, S.,& Roberts, K. M. I've Lost Who I Am: How Identity Impacts Divorce Decision Making.In development for reviewat Journal of Divorce and Remarriage. 5. Roberts, K. M., Birlew, P., Harris, S. M. &Allen, S.Utilizing Motivational Interviewing for Reconciliation Decision-Making.In development for review atJournal of Family Psychology. 6. Birlew, P., Roberts, K. M.,Allen, S., Harris, S. M., & Caldwell, M. The Tethers of our Hearts: Core Belief Reference Points in Divorce Decision-Making.In development forreview at Journal of Divorce and Remarriage. 7. Roberts, K. M., Birlew, P., Crabtree, S.,Allen, S. & Harris, S. M. The Voices in our Heads: Mindreading and Other Internal Dialogues in Divorce Decision-Making.In development for review at Journal of Divorce and Remarriage.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We continue to train therapists in the state of Minnesota (as well as other mental health professionals)in the Discernment Counseling Model. We continue to work with the National Divorce Decision Making Study dataset to shed more light on divorce decision making as well as longitudinal efforts to engage in marital reconciliation efforts (Article currently in submission).

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Crabtree, S. A. and Harris, S. M.. ( 2019). The lived experience of ambiguous marital separation: A phenomenological study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 00, 1 14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12419
• Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Harris, S. M., & Hall, E. L. (in press). Therapy with Individuals and Couples Deciding to Continue or End their Relationship. In Wampler et al (Eds.) The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy. Vol III, Chapter 13.

Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience continues to be the general public, with hopes to prevent unnecessary divorce. It also includes mental health professionals who work with couples on the brink of divorce. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?I continue to do reserach presentations at national and regional conferences on the topics of divorce decision making and discernment counseling. In May 2018 I was the Keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Utah Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Sarah Crabtree and I just recently presented on the topics of divorce decision making and ambiguious marital separation in November 2018 at the annual conference of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Mostly results have been disseminated through the sharing of journal articles on our work. Handouts detailing our work has also been shared at each presetnation we conduct. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The plan is to continue in like manner presenting and publishing on the topic at hand.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I continue to do research and investigation on these topics. We are in the midst of preparing two additioanal articles on the topic of divorce decision making: (1) The role of individual identity on Divorce Decision Making and (2) How a divorce decision making interview can act as an intervention for those making a divorce decision. Additionally, I have been in contact with graduate students in the US and in Iran who are interested in investigating more about the impact of Discernment Counseling on couples and families. Also, a doctoral student at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas completed her dissertation on the topic of how discernment counseling helps couples who choose divorce with their co-parenting relationship. I anticipate helping her move this dissertation to article format in the coming year.

Publications

• Type: Book Chapters Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Harris, S.M., & Hall, E. L. (in press).Therapy with Individuals and Couples Deciding to Continue or End Their Relationship. In K. S. Wampler, (Ed.) The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy, Wiley.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sarah A. Crabtree, Steven M. Harris, Natasha K. Bell, Sarah Allen & Kelly M. Roberts (2018) The Roles of Love and Happiness in Divorce Decision Making, Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 59:8, 601-615, DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2018.1466254
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Crabtree, S. A. (2018). The Lived Experience of Marital Separation. Doctoral Dissertation - University of Minnesota (Dept. of Family Social Science)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Divorce decision making and ambiguous marital separation. Presentation at the Annual conference of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. With Sarah Crabtree