The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent development and psychopathology within the context of the family environment. A secondary analysis by Powers, the C̲oping with Stress ̲study, concerned stressful experiences that both seriously ill and healthy adolescents and their families encounter during the adolescents' high school years. Questions focused on how these adolescents and their families cope with stress. Specifically, these analyses examined personality and social-cognitive development of family members as related to their coping style. Three groups of adolescents and their parents were studied: insulin dependent diabetic adolescents; adolescents who were psychiatrically hospitalized in the first year of the study; and nonpatient high school students. There were 57 participants in the diabetic sample, 70 in the psychiatric sample, and 76 in the nonpatient sample. All participants were 14 years old when first contacted. Data were collected over a 4-year period, from 1978 to 1982, using a battery of instruments assessing personality and moral development. Interviews were conducted each year, focusing on changes, stresses, and familial and peer relationships. Direct observation of family interactions was also included each year. The Murray Center has acquired the interview transcripts and completed questionnaires for all four years of the study. The center plans to acquire computer-accessible data as well. Data are available for the psychiatric and nonpatient samples, but not for the diabetic sample. A follow-up of this study is currently being conducted by Joseph Allen and Stuart Hauser.
