STRESSFUL EVENTS IN THE LIVES OF UK CHILDREN - A GLIMPSE

A total of 366 UK children in four different schools, one in Wales, on e in Northern Ireland, and two in England, were asked to respond to 20 potentially stressful life experiences. Each event was rated on a sca le ranging from 7 (the most upsetting) to 1 (the least), and the scale value and interquartile range were calculated In addition, whether or not a given event teas actually experienced was noted. Across the gro ups, there was a very high degree of agreement on all three measures, the median correlations being 0.95 for scale values, 0.70 for interqua rtile ranges, and 0.92 for incidence. Furthermore, the pooled UK resul ts were found to correlate equally closely with the figures previously obtained in the USA and five other countries. The possibility of a pr evalent 'culture of childhood', cutting across geo-political boundarie s and ethnic groupings, appears to receive further support.