The Impact of Parental Divorce on Children: Report of the Nationwide NASP Study

Abstract

This article provides an initial report concerning the nationwide study of the impact of divorce on children. Three-hundred-forty-one children from divorced families and 358 from intact families were randomly selected from first, third and fifth grade classrooms by 144 participating NASP members. A wide array of data was gathered, including parent and child interviews, WISC-R, and WRAT scores, and two teacher rating scales of children's classroom performance. Results from ANOVAs indicate extensive differences favoring intact family children which persist when IQ and SES measures are controlled. Within the divorced-family group, boys and older children had lower social and academic adjustment scores. A variety of home and school environment variables also were related to post-divorce adjustment.