STRESS AND STORM AND STRESS IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE - THE RELATIONSHIP OF NEGATIVE EVENTS WITH DYSPHORIC AFFECT

The theory that adolescence is universally a time of emotional turmoil has been disproved, yet research indicates higher rates of negative affect among adolescents than preadolescents. This study evaluates the relationship of distressed affect in early adolescence to the experience of stressful life events. Four hundred and eighty three 5th to 9th graders provided experience sampling reports on their daily emotional states; data on recent major events in the child's life were obtained from the child and a parent. Findings indicate that older students in this age range encountered more negative events than younger ones, including more peer, school, and family events, and that experience of multiple negative events had a stronger association with daily negative affect among the older students. These findings suggest that the higher rates of daily distress experienced in adolescence may be partly attributable to the greater number of negative life events encountered by some youths.