CHILDRENS RATINGS OF THE STRESSFULNESS OF EXPERIENCES

To ascertain if children assess experiences in terms of stress and if their perceptions generally agree with those of adults, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders rated 20 life events on a 7-point scale. The scale values ranged from 1.27 for the least upsetting event (the arrival of a new sibling) to 6.90 for the most upsetting event (the loss of a parent). Overall, there were no statistically significant differences associated with grade, sex, or personal experience. Children were found to make distinguishing judgments of the perceived Stressfulness that often differed from those of professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).