Changes in children's stressors over the past 30 years

Social and political changes have introduced new sources of stressors for children. Two studies of 7- to 12-year-old children (n=194; n=402) identified stressors from their perspective, compared them to items in existing instruments, analyzed changes in stressors over the past 30 years, and determined the need for a new instrument. The children named 908 stressors that were inductively sorted into 54 mutually exclusive categories of stressors. Only 24% to 50% of the categories were represented in existing instruments. Stressors that emerged in 2000 included being alone, tests, family fighting, too many things to do, and boyfriend/girlfriend issues. These findings provide insight into differences between adults' versus children's perspectives on stressors and invite speculation on the reasons why new stressors emerge over the years. The findings also support the need for a new instrument that captures the full range of stressors that children experience today.