Mom's parenting is the most consequential factor. Conflict isn't as destructive for kids in two-parent families as long as it doesn't spill over into the quality of parenting. Except for girls in divorced families, conflict doesn't have much impact. Simons says researchers were surprised that parental conflict did not have more of an effect. Active engagement in the role of parent, not simply contact, by the non-custodial father substantially reduces the probability that boys will display conduct problems.
Parental divorce is more emotionally disturbing to boys than to girls.
Boys in divorced families experience higher rates of depression than those in intact families, even when their mothers show positive psychological adjustment and practice competent parenting. Past research has shown that divorce can contribute to adverse behavior such as lower achievement in school, early entry into sexual activity, delinquency and substance abuse, by both boys and girls. But the effects of divorce on children are widely stereotyped and not nearly as uniform as people generally believe, according to Robert Milardo, editor of the Journal of Marriage and the Family and professor of human development at the University of Maine.