Patterns of Stress Appraisal in a Conflict Environment
A Northern Irish Study
Schlagwörter:
children, Northern Ireland, political conflict, stress appraisalAbstract
Recent research has emphasized the importance of cognitive appraisal in understanding coping processes. This study attempted to assess Belfast children's perception of stressful familial, academic, social and violent events with specific reference to the Northern Irish conflict environment. The perceptions of 689 eight to eleven year olds of the stressfulness of negative life events were rated: male and female, Protestant and Catholic children from low and middle socioeconomic backgrounds participated in the study. Responses were factor analysed to illustrate the dimensions of events children find stressful. Using dimension scores, developmental, gender and sociocultural differences in children's perceptions of negative events are examined. These results are discussed with specific reference to the Northern Irish conflict environment.
