Positive Events as a Stress Buffer for Children and Adolescents in Families in Transition

Abstract

This study examined whether positive events mitigated the relation between negative events and maladjustment in samples of children and adolescents experiencing family transitions. The study examined this relation in two samples, used multiple reporters of maladjustment, and employed "tailor-made" checklists to measure events. The first sample included 86 stepfamilies with adolescents 10 to 17 years of age. The second sample included 171 divorced families with children 8 to 15 years of age. Evidence that positive events are protective for children and adolescents experiencing high levels of negative events was found across the 2 samples and across mother and child report of adjustment. These findings have implications for theory and intervention development.