Stress Variables IDENTIFIERS *Response Patterns

Three studies that examined children's processes of coping with expressions of anger between adults are discussed. Study 1 investigated children's responses to anger involving the mother as a function of marital history and history of interparent hostility. Study 2 investigated individual styles of coping with anger. Multi-dimensional aspects of responding, including behavioral, physiological, and verbal responses, were considered. Study 3 explored children's responses to different forms of the expression of anger. Findings indicated that: (1) children responded to parents' anger as a stressor; (2) a sensitization hypothesis may describe the ways in which children's coping_patternS- were altered by marital discord; (3) subjects were characterized by discrete patterns of response to anger for many social, emotional, and physiological response dimensions; (4) response organization was stable over time; (5) all forms of angry interactions were perceived as negative events and elicited negative emotions; (6) unresolved anger was perceived as a far more negative event than resolved anger and induced far greater feelings of anger aiid distress in children; and (7) boys consistently reported more angry responses than girls and girls tended to report more feelings of distress. Suggestions for further research are offered. (RH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************A************************