A Randomised Controlled Trial Study of the Effects of a Digital Divorce Platform on Mental and Physical Health

Background Two decades of divorce research has consistently documented adverse mental and physical health effects of divorce. Responding to calls for evidence‐based online divorce interventions, this study tests effects of the “Cooperation after Divorce” (CAD) digital intervention platform on divorcees’ mental and physical health. Methods Randomised control trial 12‐month longitudinal study using a sample of 1,856 newly divorced Danes. Mental and physical health were measured using the SF‐36 at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months from baseline. Intervention effects were investigated using linear mixed effect models and Cohen's (d) for effect sizes. Results The study found significant treatment effects of the CAD intervention on mental and physical health. These effects were evident across all eight health domains constituting the mental and physical health components. The study also found that the intervention group had significantly better mental health than the control group at subsequent 6‐ and 12‐month assessments from baseline while for physical health, the intervention group had significantly better physical health at the 6‐month assessment from baseline only. Conclusion The results indicate that digital solutions allowing for individually tailored user experiences may hold great potential in reducing well‐known adverse health effects of divorce. Practitioner's points The study finds highly significant treatment effects of the “CAD” digital divorce intervention on mental and physical health indicating that online interventions may be successfully integrated into help offered to divorcees post‐divorce.