| Positive consequences of divorce for children have been supported through qualitative and quantitative research, though they are largely overshadowed by the negative consequences that have been studied much more extensively (Amato, 2000; Hetherington & Stanley-Hagan, 1999; Riggio, 2004; Weaver & Schofield, 2015). In addition, the negative consequences circulate in our society widely through sources such as mental-health and medical professionals, public figures, and the press (Hetherington & Stanley-Hagan, 1999), while the positive consequences are reported less so. This study seeks to facilitate a shift in perspective by finding more evidence of the positive consequences of divorce for children in conjunction with collaborative law, a form of alternate dispute resolution. The study investigator conducted semi-structured interviews with mental health professionals involved in collaborative law groups throughout the United States in order to get their perspectives on the aforementioned topics. The investigator utilized a modified grounded theory approach to analyze themes within the qualitative data, which yielded rich results across seven primary theme areas. Participants were able to highlight roughly as many positive consequences as negative consequences, though they did not do so of their own accord; participants generally instead required prompting from the interviewer to address positive consequences. Participants also elaborated on both benefits of and problems with collaborative law, which have implications for changes to the field and the way collaborative groups practice. |
