The impact of family stress on children in transition into puberty: The interplay of social and emotional processes

Based on a transactional model of children’s development under family stress this study investigates: a) family stress caused by dysfunctional family processes such as interparental conflict, inadequate parenting, and low quality of the parent-child-relationship, b) the mediating function of emotion processing (emotion regulation, (in)secure attachment) for the relation between family stress and children’s mental and physical health, behavior problems, and well-being, and c) the stress buffering function of the quality of the children’s peer relationships. In order to test the dynamic transactional processes predicted by the model,  a prospective longitudinal study will be conducted with children, who undergo a specific vulnerable phase for stress: the onset of puberty. This transition might influence the family relationships as well as the adjustment to family stress. Data collection is based on standardized interviews for a sample of 250 children, mothers, and fathers.