Digital Health Intervention and Long-term Social Outcomes after Divorce: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial Follow-up in Denmark

Divorce is prevalent and often leads to adverse social outcomes among divorcees and their children. Digital platforms offering online post-divorce help may provide scalable, affordable, and accessible support for divorcees during this transition. The study examined the long-term effects (five years) of a post-divorce targeted digital mental health intervention on divorcee’s labor market attachment and income. Participants (n=1,856) were divorcees from a nationally administered randomized controlled trial (RCT) tracked over a five-year period post their RCT participation using Danish national register data. Cumulative and by-year effects of treatment on labor market income, weeks on sick leave benefits, weeks on welfare benefits, and share of year unemployed were obtained using linear and count models. The study protocol was preregistered. Over the follow up period, participants in the treatment group spent fewer weeks on sick leave benefits and accumulated higher labor market income. By-year estimates for labor market income passed preregistered significance levels, but accumulated effects estimates and estimates for sick leave benefits did not. Digital health interventions may be a low-cost, high scalability way to address negative life consequences of divorce. However, more—and higher powered—research projected are needed to obtain better knowledge of their full potential.