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Stresses and Strengths of

Working Women in a Divorce
Support Group
a
Olga Molina DSW
a
District Council 37 Municipal Employees Legal
Services Plan , 125 Barclay Street, New York, NY,
10007, USA
Published online: 12 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Olga Molina DSW (2000) Stresses and Strengths of Working Women
in a Divorce Support Group, Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 33:3-4, 145-158, DOI:
10.1300/J087v33n03_09

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 Stresses and Strengths of Working Women
in a Divorce Support Group
Downloaded by [University of Ulster Library] at 10:30 13 October 2014

Olga Molina

ABSTRACT. This paper reports an explanatory-descriptive study of a

sample of eight working women seeking a divorce from a union-based
legal/social work program who participated in an eight week divorce
support group. Questionnaires and scales were used to uncover the
family characteristics of the clients who were predominantly African
American. The lack of opportunities to learn job skills for promotions,
the inability to continue the desired level of education because of a need
to earn money, and having no partner to share responsibilities were primary
stresses reported by divorced working women. Seeking spiritual support and
an ability to redefine crises to make them more manageable were strengths
used by the women to cope with family crisis. [Article copies available for a
fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail
address: <getinfo@haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.
com>]

KEYWORDS. Divorce, divorced women, divorce support groups

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the stresses
reported by divorcing working women who participated in the divorce
group services offered to them by District Council 37 Municipal Em-
ployees Legal Services Plan (MELS). Insight into the financial, em-
ployment, education, home and health-related stresses of working
women was sought, as well as their personal evaluations of how they

Olga Molina, DSW, is a Social Worker for District Council 37 Municipal Em-
ployees Legal Services Plan, 125 Barclay Street, New York, NY 10007.
Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, Vol. 33(3/4) 2000
E 2000 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 145
 146 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

cope with family crisis. The eight women selected for this study vol-
unteered to participate in an eight week divorce support group facili-
tated by a social worker and social work intern at MELS. Subjects
were asked to fill out information about their family during the initial
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group interview.
These working women are employees of the city of New York who
are represented in collective bargaining by DC 37 of the American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.
The total union membership population is 130,000, with a diverse
racial and ethnic population; predominantly African American. Law-
yers refer clients to staff social workers if they need counseling or
other help with personal or family problems which are often con-
nected to the legal problems. All social work services are voluntary
and by member’s choice.
The target population for this study were DC 37 members who had
opened legal cases in the matrimonial unit in order to obtain a divorce.
The divorce support group program implemented in MELS hopes
to improve the current state of practice in the field by partially filling
the void in services and research provided to these working women.
This programmatic intervention is in keeping with the field’s commit-
ment to a broad-brush approach and its concern with the interconnec-
tion between the union member as worker and as a family member.
The hope is that this program can serve as a model for other union-
based members assistance programs (MAPs) serving members who
are going through the crisis of a divorce.
The divorce process demands a number of fundamental changes for
everyone involved. During this process it is expected that the family
has to struggle with intense feelings of sadness, anger, ambivalence
and guilt, as well as with the practical issues of managing finances,
adapting to new living arrangements, and if children are involved,
agreeing on visitation and custody. All of these changes produce con-
siderable stress during the divorce crisis, even though the divorce may
also be an opportunity for positive personal growth.
The high rate of divorce in this society makes it essential for social
workers and other professionals to understand its effects in order to
help families during this process. In addition, research focusing on
divorce groups may be instrumental in developing programs and prac-
tice approaches that will enhance the quality of life of divorcing work-
ing families.
 Olga Molina 147

RESEARCH ON THE OUTCOME OF DIVORCE THERAPY

The sociological research on divorce has been the subject of several

important literature reviews (Kitson & Raschke, 1981; Levinger &
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Moles, 1979; Price-Bonaham & Balswick, 1980). In addition, there

are articles summarizing divorce adjustment theories (Salts, 1979); the
impact of divorce on children (Wallerstein & Kelly, 1980); and the
divorce therapy process (Brow, 1976; Kaslow, 1981). Furthermore,
there is an excellent review of the empirical research on the outcome
of divorce therapy (Sprenkle & Storm, 1983).
A review of the studies focusing on the empirical research related to
divorce therapy reveals that there are essentially five areas in which
divorce therapy outcome research have been categorized: mediation,
consumer evaluation, divorce groups, separation techniques, and mar-
riage counseling with divorce as an unintended outcome (Sprenkle &
Storm, 1983). However, there are very few empirical studies (between
two and six) in each category.
The six divorce group studies are evaluations of short-term group
treatment. There were no controls for the stage of divorce. Two of
these studies focused on a divorce education approach (Young, 1978a,
1978b). Eighty-four percent of the participants reported the service to
be of some or great value. The other four studies measured the partici-
pants’ divorce adjustment using different instruments. The results in-
dicate a significant improvement in self-esteem in the experimental
groups. In addition, Fisher (1976) and Thiessen et al. (1980) report
significantly increased divorce adjustment in participants measured by
the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale (Fisher, 1976).
In general, despite the high divorce rate, there are very few studies
focusing on divorce therapy. The existing research has serious meth-
odological problems. Special attention has to be paid to the sample
selection. There has been a disproportionate amount of research using
only middle-class white subjects. Unfortunately, in many cases re-
searchers did not control for client variables even when social back-
ground characteristics were collected. For example, Brown and Man-
ela’s (1977) study had a large sample size which included Blacks as
well as low-income subjects, but the results were not examined by
race or income. The same is true for gender and age. Very few studies
include men, older women and women without children.
It may be beneficial to study women and men from different racial
 148 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

groups other than White and of different socio-economic class in order

to begin understanding how race and socio-economic level affects the
divorced. This is particularly important since there is a reported higher
divorce rate among the working class and Blacks.
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More basic controlled research will enable us to learn if divorce

therapy is effective compared to no treatment. Additionally more re-
search on divorce group therapy, that is, of individuals who seek help
to alleviate the emotional and practical issues they face during the
divorce process is needed. Different treatment modalities and theoreti-
cal approaches need to be compared to obtain a greater depth of
knowledge in this emerging field.

METHOD
The data-gathering technique for this study used a modified version
of Dorothy Miller’s questionnaire (Single Parent Personal Evaluation
of Stresses, 1987) to explore client’s financial, employment, educa-
tion, home and health related stresses. The Hamilton McCubbin et al.
Family Crisis-Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES, 1981)
was utilized to list effective problem-solving attitudes and behaviors
which families develop to respond to crisis. A self-administered ques-
tionnaire was also used to obtain a description of demographic and
family characteristics of clients.
Questionnaires have definite drawbacks as research instruments.
People’s responses may not always reflect accurate information so that
validity is uncertain. Therefore, some of the data gathered in this study
may be somewhat artificial and potentially superficial.
Despite the limitations mentioned, self-administered questionnaires
have several advantages: low cost, speed, lack of interviewer bias, and
the anonymity that may encourage subjects to respond on sensitive
issues (Babbie, 1986, p. 236). A self-administered questionnaire pre-
sents a greater opportunity to obtain a description of a group of
women who seek a divorce. It allows for standardization of the data
which strengthens the reliability of the research instrument. In addi-
tion, the study can provide insights about African American women in
urban settings.
The sample of working women selected for this study had opened
legal cases for a divorce at MELS. All clients volunteered to partici-
pate in an eight week support divorce group offered to working
 Olga Molina 149

women who are in the divorce process. All the women agreed to
participate in the study. The questionnaires were filled out during the
initial group interview.
Data analysis was conducted by using the SPSS PC program to
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obtain descriptive statistics on the data set.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SERVICE PATTERNS

The divorce groups were held weekly for eight consecutive weeks
for one hour and a half. The group purpose was to increase familiarity
with the lifestyle changes that accompany the divorce process and to
provide emotional support to group members. The mutual aid ap-
proach to working with groups was used by the facilitators (Steinberg,
1997). The first session helped participants develop group cohesive-
ness and discussed individual and group learning goals for the ses-
sions. The second session integrated any new members into the group.
The group explored ways to deal with ambivalence towards divorce,
effects of marital problems and/or family violence on participants and
ways of coping with new role changes. The third session provided
members with an overview of the normal reactions to be expected
from their children and themselves in response to the role changes
associated with separation and divorce. It also provided a forum for
discussion of issues and concerns in this area. The fourth session had
an attorney as a guest speaker. It provided information about the legal
aspects of separation and divorce (laws, grounds, custody, child sup-
port, spousal maintenance, division of property, the court experience,
and so on). It helped members gain a greater sense of comfort with the
legal process of divorce and helped develop some skills in dealing
with it. The fifth session focused on feelings of depression and anger
and on the importance of expressing feelings appropriately. The nor-
malcy of these feelings during the divorce process and ways of ex-
pressing such feelings constructively was discussed. The sixth session
focused on feelings of loneliness and low self-esteem. It addressed the
common human experience of these feelings and focused on how to
take more responsibility for one’s own needs. The seventh session
provided information on sexuality and dating, recognizing the con-
flicting feelings people have about sex. It helped provide an open
atmosphere for discussion of sexual concerns and fears about dating.
The eighth session and final session focused on personal growth and
 150 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

helped members set goals for their new lifestyle and dealt with feel-
ings regarding termination. It reviewed the group experience and
progress of each group member in meeting their goals and discussed
future plans of the members.
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Mini-lectures, role playing, and exercises along with open discus-

sions were used in the groups. Techniques from planned short-term
service, crisis intervention approach, adult education theory, learning
theory, ego psychology and psycho-social group dynamics were
drawn upon to provide the necessary atmosphere for education and
support.
The divorce group had two facilitators. One had received a master’s
degree from a school of social work and has one year post master’s
experience. The other was a second year MSW student. Both were
supervised by social workers with more than ten years post master’s
experience. Both group facilitators were women. One was Caucasion
and the other Latina. They both were willing to accept the research
requirements of the project. Both facilitators made use of peer con-
sultation with the research investigator who has more than ten years
post M.S.W. experience in divorce counseling.

RESULTS

Clients’ Characteristics

Six of the clients (75%) in the sample were African American, one
(12.5%) was Latina, and one (12.5%) was Caucasion. The percentages
for their spouse’s race was similar except that the white client in the
sample was married to an African-American man. The client’s ages
ranged from 30 to 58 years old. Only one of the clients and one of the
spouses had been previously married.
Fifty percent of the clients were employed as clerical workers, 25%
were in social services, 12.5% nursing and 12.5% as school service
worker. The level of education of the clients was reported by the
highest grade completed. The majority of the clients (37.5%) had a
high school diploma or GED. Another 37.5% had some college;
12.5% reported less than a high school educational level; and another
12.5% had a college degree.
 Olga Molina 151

Family Characteristics
In one hundred percent of the clients the wife was the person com-
ing in for legal services to initiate a divorce. Seven of the current
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marriages (88%) were performed by a clergyman or minister. The

years married for the couples ranged from one to twenty-eight with the
mean number of years at eleven. Thirty-eight percent were married six
years or less and another thirty-eight percent for 20 or more years. The
husband and wife were living together in five families, in thirty-eight
percent of the families the husband and wife were living separately, of
these families one had recently been divorced. Sixty-two percent of
the families had children. The majority (38%) had two children, 12.5%
had one child and another (12.5%) had six children. Three of the
couples (37.5%) had no children. One of the families (12.5%) had
children from a previous marriage with the number of children being
six. The ages of the client’s children in the total sample ranged from
one to forty years old. Approximately fourteen percent of the children
were less than ten years old, 21.43% were eleven to twenty, and
64.28% were twenty-one years old or more.
Stresses of Divorcing Working Women
The stresses of the clients were reported by five different catego-
ries: financial, employment, education, home, and health. In the fi-
nancial stresses category, taking care of breakdowns in household
equipment was the most stressful item. Sixty-three percent of the
women checked this item as causing moderate/much stress. Of the
employment-related stresses, the most stressful item was feeling fa-
tigued and/or irritable (88%). The inability to continue the desired
level of education because of a need to earn money was the most
stressful item (88%) of the education stresses. In the home stresses
category, having no partner to share responsibilities was the most
stressful item; one hundred percent of the women checked this item
as producing moderate/much stress. The health-related stresses cate-
gory had ‘‘I have one or more major medical problems’’ as the most
stressful item with 63% of the women reporting it as causing moder-
ate or much stress.
The primary concern of clients was having no partner to share her
responsibilities. All clients checked this problem as causing moderate/
much stress. Eighty-eight percent of clients reported moderate/much
 152 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

stress in the inability to continue the desired level of education be-

cause of a need to earn money; having no partner to help out with
various problems; and feeling fatigued and/or irritable. The category
of home-related stresses was checked the most as causing moderate/
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much stress with a total mean of 75%. The second highest category of
stress was education with a total mean of 67%. The third highest was
employment with a total mean of 53% (see Tables 1-5).

TABLE 1. Education-Related Stresses of Divorcing Working Women

ITEM Mod./Much Stress No/Little Stress

1. Inability to continue my desired 88% 12%

level of education because of
my need to earn money.

2. Arrangements when child is ill 37% 63%

at school.

3. Inability to complete my own 75% 25%

college education.

Total Mean = 67%

TABLE 2. Home-Related Stresses of Divorcing Working Women

ITEM Mod./Much Stress No/Little Stress

1. Having no partner to share my 100% 0

responsibilities.

2. Having no partner to help me 88% 12%

out with various problems.

3. Lack of emotional support from 75% 25%

child’s father.

4. Having time to take care of my 63% 50%

own personal interests.

5. Being too tired to spend time 50% 50%

with my children.

Total Mean = 75%

 Olga Molina 153

TABLE 3. Health-Related Stresses of Divorcing Working Women

ITEM Mod./Much Stress No/Little Stress

1. Cost of health care (it’s too 37% 63%

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expensive).

2. Lack of access to health care due 25% 75%

to not having any or insufficient
medical insurance.

3. Lack of access to ‘‘preventive’’ 25% 75%

health care.

4. I have one or more major 63% 37%

medical problems.

5. One or more of my child(ren) 12% 88%

having chronic medical problems.

6. Limited choice for selection of 25% 75%

hospitals or physicians.

Total Mean = 31%

Client’s Ways of Coping with Family Crises

In addition to exploring the stresses that affect divorcing working

women, it is necessary to know what methods the families use to cope
with stress. The Family Crisis-Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales
(F-COPES) was the research instrument used to record effective prob-
lem-solving attitudes and behaviors which families develop to respond
to problems or difficulties.
The F-COPES is a 29-item, five point self-report inventory that
measures internal and external family strategies. The internal strate-
gies are ways in which the family deals with crisis by using resources
within the family, such as confidence in problem-solving, ability to
face change, and passive behaviors. External strategies include active
behavior used by the family to acquire resources outside the family
systems, such as religious resources, relatives, friends, neighbors, and
community resources.
The F-COPES is comprised of five subscales. The primary method
of clients’ coping was seeking spiritual support with an averaged total
 154 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

TABLE 4. Financial Stresses of Divorcing Working Women

ITEM CLIENT RESPONDENTS (Total N = 8)

Mod./Much Stress No/Little Stress
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1. Not earning enough money 50% 50%

2. Lack of financial support from 50% 50%

child(ren)’s father

3. Taking care of breakdowns in 63% 37%

household equipment

4. Lack of childcare because it is 25% 75%

too expensive

5. Lack of money to buy enough 50% 50%

food for me and my family

6. Being far from public 37% 63%

transportation

7. Lack of decent housing because 37% 63%

I do not have enough money

8. High cost of public transportation 37% 63%

9. Lack of money to buy clothes 37% 63%

for my children

10. Lack of money to buy toys for 0 100%

children

Total Mean = 39%

mean of 60%. The reframing method, that is, the ability to redefine
crises to make them more manageable was the second most frequently
reported by clients with an average total mean of 59%. The third
method was passive appraisal: the ability to ignore problems and
minimize reactions with an average total mean of 50%. Interestingly,
acquiring social support of other relatives, friends, or neighbors and
mobilizing family to acquire and accept help were the two methods
least employed by the clients in coping with crises. Each of these two
subscale scores had an average total mean of 38% (see Table 4).
 Olga Molina 155

TABLE 5. Employment-Related Stresses of Divorcing Working Women

Mod./Much Stress No/Little Stress

1. Feeling fatigued and/or 88% 12%

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irritable

2. Inability to obtain full-time work 25% 75%

3. Few career development 50% 50%

opportunities

4. Lack of flexibility to take time 25% 75%

off for child(ren)’s emergency

5. Lack of opportunities to learn 75% 25%

job skills for promotions

Total Mean = 53%

TABLE 6. Family Crisis-Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES)

Five Subscales of Methods Families Use in Coping with Crisis

and Total Mean Percentages of Respondents’ Scores

1. Acquiring social support: ability to try to get help from relatives, friends, neigh-
bors, and grandparents (38%);

2. Reframing: ability to redefine crises to make them more manageable (59%);

3. Seeking spiritual support (60%);

4. Mobilizing family to acquire and accept help (38%);

5. Passive appraisal: ability to ignore problem and minimize reaction (50%).

Client’s Depression

The client’s level of depression was obtained by the scores received

in the Zung Depression Scale (Zung, 1965). The test scores ranged
from 31 to 72 with a total mean of 49.3 (Moderate Depression). Fifty
percent of the clients were mildly depressed and 25% were severely
depressed (see Table 7).
 156 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

Clients’ Self-Esteem

The self-esteem of the clients was measured by the Rosenberg’s

Self- Esteem Scale scores (CIARLO et al., 1986). The majority of the
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clients had high self-esteem. Thirty-eight percent reported low self-es-

teem, and one client (12.5%) had moderate self-esteem (see Table 8).

TABLE 7. Test Scores of the Zung Depression Scale

Client’s Scores Frequency Percentage

31 1 12.5
41 2 25
44 1 12.5
45 1 12.5
50 1 12.5
70 1 12.5
72 1 12.5

Totals 394 8 100

The scores ranged from 31 to 72 with a total mean of 49.3 (Moderate Depression).

Raw Scores

40-48 Mild
48-56 Moderate
56+ Severe

TABLE 8. Test Scores of Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale

Client’s Scores Frequency Percentage

Low Self-Esteem 3 37.5

Moderate Self-Esteem 1 12.5
High Self-Esteem 4 50

Totals 8 100

Scores ranged from low to high self-esteem. Three members scored with low self-esteem,
one had moderate, and four had high self-esteem.
 Olga Molina 157

DISCUSSION
The present study is limited by the small size of the sample, there-
fore, generalizability is greatly limited. Nevertheless, there were sev-
eral interesting patterns reported by the clients. The clients were gen-
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erally African American women in their early forties who were

employed as clerical workers earning approximately $20,000 per year.
Most of the clients had a high school diploma and some college.
About two-thirds of the clients had children. The majority had about
two children. About 88% of the clients were in their first marriage.
Generally, the clients had been in the present marriage for ten to
twenty years. Most of the clients were still living with their spouse
when they sought legal and social work services to initiate a divorce.
Given the client incomes and the fact that many are not receiving
financial support from their spouse, most clients face financial diffi-
culties. The lack of opportunities to learn job skills for promotions, the
inability to continue the desired level of education because of a need to
earn money, and having no partner to share responsibilities are addi-
tional sources of stress reported by divorcing women. Seeking spiritu-
al support and an ability to redefine crises to make them more manage-
able are the primary methods of strength that clients report using to
cope with family crises. The majority of the clients were mildly to
moderately depressed as indicated by their Zung Depression Scale
scores. About half the clients received high self-esteem scores and the
other half low self-esteem scores in the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem
Scale test scores.

CONCLUSION
Soon almost half of the adults in this society will have experienced
at least one divorce in their life. These individuals and their families
may seek professional help during the divorce process. Therefore
social workers and other helping professionals need to focus more on
divorce research and its implication for practice. Divorce therapy itself
needs to be the primary focus of studies. Methods of intervention that
will aide people who are divorcing need to be developed and tested.
Thus far, much of the research has been done in marital counseling or
other forms of therapy with an emphasis on reconciliation or post-di-
vorce adjustment groups rather than on groups that help clients reach
the decision to divorce and assist them through the divorce process.
 158 JOURNAL OF DIVORCE & REMARRIAGE

In regard to race or ethnicity, very little information is known about

the causes or consequences of divorce and divorce therapy in African
American and Latino families even though the divorce rates have been
reported to be higher. Hopefully, the present study can begin to partial-
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ly fill in a void in the research on divorce group therapy and obtain

further knowledge of its effect on African Americans.

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