Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objectives Middle childhood is a poorly understood and understudied area of child development in the context of subjective stress appraisal. Complex Systems Theory situates children within the context of the family and the wider environment. Whilst research has begun to explore perceived stress from the child’s perspective or through a parent proxy measure, there has been limited research exploring adults' perspectives on their child’s stress. This study aimed to explore perceived stress among children, followed by an examination of parents' experiences of their child’s stress to help explain patterns observed in the quantitative data. Method A 2-phase multi-informant, multi-method design was developed and executed. Phase 1 involved 201 children aged 6-12 years (Mage=9.06, SD=1.95), quantitatively exploring the psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale for Kids (PeSSKi; Davis & Turner-Cobb, 2023) and examining associations with related constructs. Data from this phase was used to identify potential participants for the second phase (parents representative of the sample demographically). Phase 1 data also provided distribution data for perceived stress in this sample. Additionally, 42 parents provided written qualitative responses, analysed using Basic Content Analysis. Phase 2 consisted of semi-structured interviews with six parents whose children participated in Phase 1. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). A subsample of children from phase 1 completed the PeSSKi in this phase (N=10; Mage=10.3, SD=2.54). Findings across the phases were integrated. Results A 2-factor PeSSKi model was the best fit; a single-factor model was also acceptable, held theoretical strength and was therefore chosen for analysis. Normative values displayed tentative comparisons to adult data gained from a conceptually similar scale. Five superordinate themes emerged: stress in the family, navigating uncertainty, balancing protection and exposure, interpreting individual differences, and how beliefs, stress, and childhood shape parenting. A finding across themes was the significant emotional effort parents invested in understanding their children's perceived stress. Discussion Findings supported the potential usefulness of the PeSSKi for children aged 6-12 years and highlighted the complex systems shaping parenting and child development. These results have implications for researchers, clinicians, educators and parents in identifying early indicators of vulnerability or resilience and informing the development of interventions.
Author: Davis, Christina
Institution: University of the West of England
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225349617