Family resources as mediators in the relation between divorce and children's school engagement

• Investigation of the relation between school engagement and parental divorce.
• Examining family resources as potential mediators by structural equation modeling.
• Explaining school engagement via the resources deprivation perspective.
• Social family resources are an important mediator of parental divorce.
• Social family resources mediate effect of financial resources on school engagement.

Children are increasingly growing up in non-intact families. Because the family is a vital developmental part of growing-up, parental divorce can have far-reaching effects on children. This article investigates whether divorce interferes with children's engagement in school. According to the deprivation perspective, the effect of a parental divorce on children is mediated through the availability of family resources. Structural equation models are performed on the Leuven's Adolescent and Family Study. We conclude that the parental divorce effect on school engagement is mediated by the parent-child relationship, parental conflict, and financial problems at home.