A multivariate risk model for childhood behavior problems.

In a study of 306 children whose parents have a mental illness, the relationship between coping skills and environmental assets and deficits determined the degree of behavior problems among these high-risk children. Two environmental stressors (proportion of mentally ill family members and mother-child discord), two coping skills (activity competence and school competence), and an interaction (between proportion of mentally ill family members and activity competence) were found to explain 40% of the variance in child behavior problems.