JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3t 435-446 (1992) Relations Between First Grade Stress, Temperament, and Behavior Problems RICHARD D. RENDE Columbia University ROBERT PLOMIN The Pennsylvania State Universi~ This paper examines relations between first grade stress,temperament, and behav- ior problems in 164 children after the completion of first grade. Specifically,the goals of the study were (a) to examine relations between both child and parent reports of the child's stress in first grade and behavior problems in school, (b) to determine if school stress interacts with the moderator variable temperament in predicting be- havior problems, and (c) to examine such relations separately for boys and girls to assessif gender differences are present. Child and parent reports of the occurrence and upsettingness of 18 items associated with first grade were collected. Parents completed a temperament inventory; behavior problems were assessedby teacher ratings. Both child and parent reports of event upsettingnesscorrelated significantly with externalizing behavior problems for boys, and with both internalizing and externalizing problems for girls. There was also evidence for interactions between first grade stress and temperamental characteristics in predicting externalizing be- havior problems. Implications for research on childhood stressresulting from devel- opmentally relevant life transitions are discussed. Many studies relating stress to behavior problems in childhood have focused on the impact of major life events (for reviews, see Compas, 1987; Johnson, 1986). However, there are other potential sources of stress for children (Compas, 1987). In particular, there have been numerous suggestions that developmentally rele- vant life transitions may also be stressful for some children, and hence may be associated with negative outcomes (e.g., Dunn, 1988; Humphrey, 1984). One developmentally relevant life transition is the beginning of elementary school (e.g., Humphrey, 1984). Studies of older children in elementary school have documented that school-related events are a source of stress (e.g., Colton, 1985; Humphrey, 1984; Phillips, 1978; Schultz & Heuchert, 1983), However, the stress of the first year of elementary school has received little direct study, and consequences of stressful experiences in beginning school have yet to be explored. Support for the Colorado Adoption Project (CAP) was provided by the National Institutes of Health (HD-10333, HD-18426, MH-43899). Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to Richard D. Rende, Columbia Univer- sity, Clinical and Genetic Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Unit 14, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032. 435