Several mechanisms have been offered regarding the elevated risks for deviant behavior associated with parental divorce/separation. A reduction in child supervision and parental involvement may follow divorce (Størksen, Røysamb, Moum, & Tambs, 2005; Wolfinger, 1998), consistent with social control theory (Hirschi, 1969) which proposes that deviant behavior is produced by low levels of attachment and commitment to institutions such as family. Parental absence in turn may lead to a decrease in parenting effectiveness (Amato & Keith, 1991) and increased access to alcohol and hence increased opportunity to drink (Rothman et al., 2008).
