Preliminary evaluation of the BeH20 co-parenting program using a multiple baseline experimental design

This study evaluated BeH20, a community-embedded co-parenting program for divorced and separated parents experiencing high interparental conflict, using two complementary designs. In Study 1, 102 parents completed a one-time post-only survey, rating perceived changes in their co-parenting quality, program components, overall satisfaction, and likelihood of recommending BeH20. Results showed a large, significant improvement in perceived co-parenting quality, strong agreement that the program offered practical communication strategies, businesslike conflict-resolution techniques, guidance on separating marital vs. co-parenting roles, and support for a child's relationship with both parents, as well as high overall satisfaction and recommendation likelihood. In Study 2, 11 parents participated in a multiple-baseline, single-case experimental design, providing 462 daily observations of co-parenting (respect, animosity) and nonreactivity, and 519 observations of conflict tactics (constructive vs. destructive) across baseline, intervention, and follow-up. Findings revealed a significant reduction in animosity during the intervention phase. Together, these results offer preliminary evidence that BeH20 is both highly acceptable and effective at targeting a key mechanism of change-reducing animosity between co-parents-and demonstrate the feasibility of conducting rigorous, university-community evaluations of community-embedded programs. Future work should extend these partnerships to explore additional mechanisms of change and streamline data collection processes for scalable implementation.