Academic success of wealthy kids is impacted when parents divorce

Researchers have long been aware of how a parents’ separation can adversely impact a child’s academic success. Earlier this month, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) published a study describing the kids that divorce affects the most. They determined that divorce seems to impact children from more stable, wealthier families than it does those who were previously struggling.

The sociology and statistics professor that led this study found that whenever parents divorce, it only automatically lowers the academic attainment level of those kids for which the parental separation was unlikely.

She noted that parents who plan their families and are well-educated or wealthy are traditionally the ones expected to have the most stable marriages. In contrast, kids who come from impoverished backgrounds are used to more dysfunction.

To reach their conclusions, the researchers studied two different family data sets that were taken from 4,931 mothers and 11,512 children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. They were seeking to home in on the types of parents most apt to divorce. The researchers also wanted to find out how well children who had both parents in the home performed academically versus those belonging to ones that have split up.

Ultimately, the researchers determined that children of divorce were 6 percent less likely to graduate high school than their peers who had parents that remained married. The researchers also found out children with divorced parents were 15 percent less likely to earn their college degree than their counterparts who had married parents.

The researchers found that children with parents at risk for divorce didn’t see their high school or college graduation prospects decline much as the ones of means did. They found that the former already had lower academic success and disruptions which affected their ability to achieve these goals long before their parents ultimately decided to split up.

When couples in Orange decide to go their separate ways, it often leaves spouses both financially and emotionally vulnerable. When it comes to splitting up in California, having the right lawyer can make all the difference. A divorce attorney can help you understand how certain choices will affect your family and negotiate a settlement that is in your best interest.