The Experience of Stressors and Hassles among Rural Adolescents from Low- and Middle-Income Households in the USA

Abstract

Poverty matters for children’s and youths' psychological and physical health. Using experience sampling methodology over a four-day period, we show that the hour-to-hour experiences of white, low- and middle-income youth (M= 17.12 years) are different. Poor rural youth in the United States experience more hassles and stressors than their middle-income counterparts. This is particularly true for the family setting. However, physical and social stressors appear equally prominent for low- and middle-income adolescents. Family socioeconomic status does not appear to influence stressor exposure at school or with friends. These data are drawn from a neglected population in the stress literature, namely low- and middle-income children living in rural households.