Layout 1

Chapter 13

levels of crime accompany higher divorce
rates,but also higher rates of child abuse.
Child neglect is twice as high for separated
and divorced parents than for intact families
(Wallerstein & Blakeslee,2003; Egami,1996).
Children of separated and divorced parents
are 20% more likely to be abused,based on
10 years of research in Family Court (Brown
& Alexander,2007).Adolescent children
whose parents divorce have been found to
abuse drugs and alcohol more often than
children whose parents are still married
(Barrett & Turner,2006).

The Effects of Divorce on Educational
Achievement

Regardless of the child’s age, divorce has
a negative impact on the child’s learning
and achievement.Young children whose
parents divorce are often afraid that both
parents will abandon them. This leads to
an inability to concentrate, particularly on
schoolwork. Children frequently have
difficulty sleeping. They fear falling asleep
because the remaining parent might
abandon them—after all, in a child’s mind,
if one parent can leave, why can’t both?
The resultant fatigue from sleeplessness
then leads to even more difficulty
concentrating.
Children of divorced families generally
demonstrate lower preschool readiness;
achieve lower educational performance at
the elementary, secondary, and college

levels; and exhibit a higher dropout rate in

high school than their counterparts from

intact families (Schneider, Atteberry, &

Owens, 2005). Children from intact

families maintained grade point averages

11% higher than their peers from divorced

families. High school seniors from

divorced households missed almost 60%

more class periods than did those from

intact families. These results are most

pronounced for females, indicating

females are more negatively impacted by

divorce than are males (Ham, 2003).

Those who graduate from high school are

16% less likely to attend college than

students from intact households (Painter

& Levine, 2000). Of those who started

college, 57% completed a bachelor’s

degree compared to 90% in the

comparison group (Wallerstein & Lewis,

2004).

The Effects of Divorce on Family Economy

Almost immediately after a couple

separates, the family financial situation

declines. Initially, the same income

supports two households, as well as pays

for legal fees, relocation costs, and other

expenses related to family dissolution.

Divorce results in a more significant

decline in income for women than men.

Wallerstein finds family income after a

divorce drops more than 20%, resulting in

a substantial number of women (with