EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS
Only a few programs have been evaluated extensively with control groups, providing an
evidence base for their effectiveness. The Children’s Support Group (CSG) (Stolberg &
Garrison, 1985; Stolberg & Mahler, 1994) is a fourteen-week preventive intervention
program designed to provide support and teach children skills and coping strategies to deal
with family changes. In a controlled study, third through fifth grade children were assigned
to one of three intervention groups, (1) support; (2) support and skill building; or (3) support,
skill building, transfer, and parent training, or a no-treatment control group. A non-divorced
group served as a comparison sample. Results showed significant improvements in children’s
clinical symptoms in the skills and support conditions. The combined skills and support
groups yielded the most immediate benefits, reducing children’s emotional and behavior
problems, and improving their adjustment at home. The authors acknowledge the importance
of cognitive-behavioral skills as a key ingredient of their program and suggest the
need for further research to clarify the mechanisms of effective programs