Divorce, its Impact on Children

Impact of Parental Divorce on Children

Much research effort has focused on the differences between children in divorced and married families, leading many to conclude that children from divorced families are behind children from married families on psychosocial developmental tasks (Amato, 2000; Hines, 1997). However, according to a careful review of the divorce research done in the 1990s (Amato, 2001), those differences are statistically small and dependent on how the studies were done.

Conduct problems have been the most frequently examined effect of divorce on children. Many existing studies illustrate that children, especially boys, from divorced families show more aggression, disobedience, demandingness, and lack of self-control than children from married families do. In fact, according to Emery (1999), children from divorced families are overrepresented among delinquents. However, many researchers argue that those deviant behaviors are due to [Page 366]decreased parental supervision following divorce rather than due to divorce per se (Barber & Eccles, 1992). In addition, these findings could reflect preexisting differences in the children prior to their parents' divorce, or could be in reaction to factors such as parental conflict, which may have been present before the divorce.

Research is less consistent on internalizing problems of children from divorced families (Barber & Eccles, 1992; Emery, 1999). Although there are some studies showing that children from divorced families are more depressed and have lower self-esteem than children from married families, many other studies find no differences. In addition, when differences do exist, they decrease over time.

In many studies, children from divorced families have lower academic achievement; however, it varies by the area of achievement examined. First, there are modest differences in performance and behavior in school—with children in divorced families earning slightly lower grades, but no meaningful differences in standardized test scores compared with children in married families. Second, children from divorced families show more misconduct in school. Finally, the largest and most meaningful difference is found in school completion and educational attainment. Specifically, children from divorced families are more likely to drop out of high school and complete fewer years in school overall. Children from married families show better outcomes in academic achievement; however, some scholars suggest that this advantage is related to less frequent misbehavior and greater motivation rather than to ability. Furthermore, children from divorced families have fewer economic resources available to facilitate academic activities and are more likely to move residences (and therefore change schools), and their parents are less likely to be involved in their school activities (Emery, 1999). Hence, it should be recognized that in addition to parental divorce, other factors can put children from divorced families at a disadvantage when it comes to academic achievement.

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