Voices in unison: stressful events in the lives of children in six countries

Abstract

A 20-event, 7-point scale on the stressfulness of selected unpleasant experiences was administered to 1814 children in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S.A. (two groups). Responses indicated that, among these 3rd through 9th graders, there is a remarkable degree of agreement not only in the stress ratings but also in the reported incidences of life events. Granted certain cultural contrasts, the overall findings gave credence to the presence of widespread, common perceptions and attitudes among children. The worlds of the young and of the grown-ups may overlap with each other much less than usually believed.