The insecurities generated in children by stressful environmental changes can compromise their receptivity to learning and their attitude toward school. Studies examining divorce outcomes focus primarily on two cognitive indicators: achievement and intelligence. This study explored the relationship between creative thinking components and family change caused by parental separation. Interest in the relationship between creativity and family change originally derived from studies that reported early parental loss among eminent people. The paper hypothesized that personal efforts to cope with fluctuating levels of separation-related stress evoke thought processes that exercise creative thinking abilities. The subjects of the study were 116 third, fourth, and fifth graders from seven rural public school districts in Central New York State. Half were from single parent families and half were from intact families. Tests used were the Group Inventory for Finding Creative Talent, the Revised Art Scale, and the Family Environment Scale. The findings did not support the hypothesis; however, children of single parents scored significantly higher on the variables origence, achievement orientation, and intellectual-cultural orientations. The paper suggests possible reasons for the differences. Twenty-four references are included. (Author/KS)