RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LIFE EVENTS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

We estimate a model specifying a reciprocal relationship between psych ological distress and life events. The data are from two waves of an o ngoing longitudinal study of adaptations to stress. Subjects are 4397 individuals who were tested in the seventh grade (time 1) and as young adults (time 4). The analysis uses the LISREL 8 program to estimate a structural model with latent variables. The model tested specifies li fe events as both consequences and antecedents of psychological distre ss, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity and SES. The life events in the aggregate mediate and partially decompose the relationship betwee n psychological distress during adolescence and young adulthood. Time 1 psychological distress has significant positive effects on getting f ired, getting married, having a child, having someone in the household become seriously ill, becoming pregnant outside of marriage, getting a divorce, moving out of the parents' home, having an abortion and get ting arrested, and has significant negative effects on graduating from junior high, starting and graduating from high school, starting colle ge, starting a job, getting promoted and borrowing money. The followin g life events had significant positive effects on time 4 psychological distress: having someone in the household become seriously ill, getti ng fired, starting high school and divorce. The following life events had significant negative effects on time 4 psychological distress: gra duating junior high school, graduating from high school, starting coll ege, getting promoted, receiving more income and borrowing money. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.