Parenting of divorced mothers as a link between social status and boys' academic outcomes: Unpacking the effects of socioeconomic status

Socialization theories posit parenting practices as mechanisms linking soci oeconomic status (SES) and children's academic outcomes. A mediational pare nting model was tested examining separate effects of maternal education, oc cupation, and income for a sample of 238 divorced or recently separated mot hers of 6- to 9-year-old sons. For the SEM path models, each indicator of S ES was associated with better parenting, and parenting in turn had indirect effects on achievement through home skill-building activities and school b ehavior. The direct effect of maternal education on achievement was mediate d by home skill-building activities, the direct effect of maternal occupati on on achievement was not mediated, and income measures had no direct effec ts on achievement. These findings underscore the importance of unpacking th e effects of SES and the relevance of effective parenting practices as a pr otective factor in the home and school environment for young boys' school s uccess during postdivorce adjustment.