Children's experience of life stress: The role of family social support and social problem-solving skills as protective factors

Abstract

Examined the role of family social support and social problem-solving skills in moderating the effects of children's stressful life events on behavioral adjustment. Participants were 322 fourth and fifth graders who reported on their stressful experiences during the past year. Children from both regular education (RE) or special education (SE) classrooms were included in the sample. Additional self-report data from children also included measures related to perceived level of family social support, a personality questionnaire, and a social problem-solving measure. In addition, teachers provided reports of the children's behavior and adjustment. Main effects were found for total stress, school/peer stress, family social support, and social problem solving. Significant moderator effects were found for family support on total stress for the teacher-reported internalizing problems of RE students and for family support on school/peer stress on the teacher-reported externalizing problems and self-reported anxiety problems of SE students. Specific, theory-generated hypotheses are discussed as a more effective method of examining relations between stress and various moderator variables.