Test Anxiety and Performance of Adolescent Children of Divorced Parents

Many studies have indicated that children of divorced parents perform less well in school than children of intact families. A variety of reasons have been put forward for these findings. The chief purpose of the present study was to examine the level of test anxiety that is characteristic of adolescent children of divorced parents and to suggest this as a possible explanation of the lower scholastic achievements of such children. A sample of 30 tenth-grade adolescents boys (15 of whom were children of divorced parents and 15 from intact families) were given Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory and their school achievement over a period of two semesters was calculated. The results showed that the children of divorced parents had significantly higher Test Anxiety scores than did the children of intact families. These results are discussed in terms of the appropriate school environment and the exerted pressure on children of divorced parents to succeed in their studies.