The Relationship of Parental Divorce to Health Status of Parents and Children

Abstract

Based on data from the divorce adjustment project conducted by the National Association of School Psychologists and Kent State University, the study reported herein focused on physical and mental health status of children and parents. The nationwide sample included 341 children from divorced families and 358 from intact families randomly selected from first, third, and fifth grade classrooms by 144 school psychologists. Results from ANOVAs indicated that health ratings for divorced-family children as well as their parents and siblings were lower than ratings for their counterparts in intact families. Correlational and multiple regression results revealed a wide array of both concurrent and longitudinal relationships, illustrating interdependence among divorce, physical and mental health condition, stress indices, and academic and social competence criteria. Implications of the results for school-based special services providers are discussed.