The effectiveness of a divorce support group on women's self-esteem and level of depression

Divorce in the United States is so widespread that it touches the lives of most citizens in some way. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ratings of self-esteem and depression of women who participated in a divorce support group. Self-esteem and depression were measured prior to participation in the group and again upon completion. The two instruments utilized in the study were the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1985) and The Beck Depression Inventory (1961). Forty-one women, recently separated or divorced, participated in the study which was conducted in Tucson, Arizona during 1993-1994. The results indicated that the divorce support group may have significantly decreased the women's level of depression. The women's level of self-esteem did increase after participating in the divorce support groups; however, the increase was not significant