Attainment and behavioral disturbance at 9 years: The influence of early and late life stress events

This paper presents data from a small-scale longitudinal study that examines the importance of life-stress events in early and late childhood for later attainment and behavioral disturbance. The study sample consists of 59 children, all of whom when first contacted lived in families with low incomes, of low social status, and little education. Therefore, all of the children can be considered disadvantaged, and the influence of life stress events can be assessed uncontaminated by differences in socio-economic status. At age 9 years, 21 of these children were assessed as disturbed, whereas 38 were not. The results presented suggest that life stress events in early childhood: (1) are of little importance in explaining variations in the behavior of either group of children; and (2) help to explain variations in the attainment of the disturbed, but not the other children. However, life-stress events in late childhood are (1) of considerable importance in explaining variations in the behavior of both the disturbed and other children; but (2) of little importance in explaining variations in the attainments of either group of children. The findings are discussed with reference to child, parent, and other factors that may act to protect vulnerable children against life event stress.