Which statement best explains why the association between parental divorce and child outcomes may be correlational rather than causal?

Which statement best explains why the association between parental divorce and child outcomes may be correlational rather than causal?

• A. Many children of divorced parents live with their mothers, who earn substantially less money on average than fathers
• B. Children of divorced parents have often witnessed parents' conflicts for months or years before the divorce
• C. Some families are more prone to divorcing than others
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the link between parental divorce and child outcomes can arise from other factors that influence both events and results, not from the divorce itself causing the outcomes. After divorce, families often have fewer financial resources, which can affect children’s health, schooling, and well-being regardless of whether the divorce caused those problems. Also, if families experience ongoing conflict before divorce, children are exposed to stress that can shape outcomes; the divorce may simply end the conflict, but the stress exposure is what matters for the child, not the act of divorce alone. Finally, some families are more prone to divorce due to underlying characteristics—like economic strain, parenting styles, or parental mental health—that also affect child outcomes. These shared factors can create a link between divorce and child outcomes even if the divorce itself doesn’t cause those outcomes. Because each point provides a plausible alternative explanation for the observed association, all of them together illustrate why the relationship can be correlational rather than strictly causal.

The key idea is that the link between parental divorce and child outcomes can arise from other factors that influence both events and results, not from the divorce itself causing the outcomes. After divorce, families often have fewer financial resources, which can affect children’s health, schooling, and well-being regardless of whether the divorce caused those problems. Also, if families experience ongoing conflict before divorce, children are exposed to stress that can shape outcomes; the divorce may simply end the conflict, but the stress exposure is what matters for the child, not the act of divorce alone. Finally, some families are more prone to divorce due to underlying characteristics—like economic strain, parenting styles, or parental mental health—that also affect child outcomes. These shared factors can create a link between divorce and child outcomes even if the divorce itself doesn’t cause those outcomes. Because each point provides a plausible alternative explanation for the observed association, all of them together illustrate why the relationship can be correlational rather than strictly causal.