The construct of stressors is fundamental to the field of developmental psychopathology. At the theoretical level,
most prevailing models of child/adolescent psychopathology recognize the potential importance of environmental
stressors in the etiology and maintenance of both internalizing and externalizing disorders in youth (e.g., Cicchetti &
Toth, 1991, 1997; Haggerty, Sherrod, Garmezy, & Rutter, 1994; Rutter, 1989). Stressors represent the environmental
contribution of risk, which interacts with genetic predisposition, to lead to psychological problems in children and
adolescents (Mash & Barkley, 1996).
In spite of the potential significance of stressors, reviews of the child/adolescent stress literature published in the
past two decades present a picture of a field early in its development (e.g., Cohen & Park, 1992; Compas, 1987;
Johnson, 1986; Johnson & Bradlyn, 1988). These reviews (Cohen & Park, 1992; Compas, 1987; Johnson, 1986;
Johnson & Bradlyn, 1988) called for clarity in conceptualization and measurement and more research examining: