title: Young adolescents' identification of difficult life events.
abstract: As part of a larger study of parent-child communication, young adolescents (n = 847), aged 11 to 14 years, responded with brief written answers to the question: "Using your own words, list any happenings that occurred in the family that you feel may have been difficult and have long-lasting effects." The sample was chiefly seventh- and eighth-grade students from two-parent, White, middle-class, urban homes. Content analyses of their responses resulted in the following themes: feelings of loss due to death, divorce, relocation, or a sibling leaving the family; feelings of threat toward family relationships or integrity, personal or family health, personal or family safety and well-being, and violence; feelings of being hassled due to parents' expectations and limits and siblings' disagreements and conflicts; and testing maturity. The data provide significant examples of the life events of families. Recommendations to identify and care for families and young adolescents experiencing these events are proposed.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Riesch
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Tosi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires