ABSTRACT
Virtually all studies examining the effects of divorce on academic achievement include only children of divorce from single-parent families. There are a number of reasons why it is important to also examine children of divorce living with neither parent. First, accurate estimates of the effects for divorce on children can only be obtained if all categories of children of divorce are included. Limiting studies to include children only from single-parent families excludes important data on children from other types of families including: (a) the population of children of divorce from neither-parent families, or (b) the population of children of divorce as a whole. Second, children of divorce living with neither parent make up an increasing percentage of the population under the age of eighteen. Third, past research, using a variety of academic and nonacademic measures, indicates that children of divorce are more likely to “fall through the cracks” of American society (McLanahan and Sandefur, 1994; Muransky and DeMarie-Dreblow, 1995; Wallerstein and Corbin, 1999). As a result, there is a consensus within the research community that coming from a divorced home places a child “at risk” in terms of eventually engaging in various undesirable behaviors. Children of divorce are more likely to have low grades, drop out of school, have premarital sex, seek psychological help, become drug addicts, get divorced later in life, end up in prison, commit murder, etc. (Hetherington, 1999; Moore, 1995; Popenoe, 1993; Uhlenberg and Eggebeen, 1986). However, beyond this we have very little evidence indicating the extent to which children from neither-parent families may be at an even greater risk, the same risk, or perhaps even at less risk than children of divorce from single-parent families. Parents, educators, social workers, and other caregivers need to know the extent to which children of divorce from neither-parent families do or do not face unique needs that either go beyond or are different from those found in children of divorce from single-parent families. Analyzing the effects of divorce on the academic achievement of children of divorce from neither-parent homes is a major step in giving this family structure the attention it deserves.
