Knowledge of stress in children can assist nurses to design methods for stress reduction that maximize the well-being of children. The purpose of this study was to ascertain stressors, levels of stress, and self-care actions for reducing stress in preadolescent children and to determine if there were gender-related differences. It was also a purpose to ascertain if there were differences between mothers' perceptions of stressors, levels of stress, and self-care actions to reduce stress and the childrens' perceptions of the same. Orem's (1985) Self-Care Nursing Model and concepts related to stress were the framework guiding the study.

An exploratory/descriptive design was used to collect data from 64 preadolescent subjects and their mothers, using three research instruments. Content validity was established through the use of expert judges in the area's of Orem's Nursing Model and childhood stress. Reliability of the instruments was determined via the test-retest method.

Analyses of data revealed the following findings: (a) "fighting with sibling(s)" was the most frequently occurring stressor; (b) stress levels in the majority of children were about average; (c) "trying to forget about it" was the most common self-care action used by children to reduce stress; (d) mothers identified similar stressors and self-care actions as their children, but mentioned stressors related to school problems more often than the child subjects; (e) there were no statistically significant differences between the child subjects' levels of stress and the levels of stress as perceived by mothers; (f) there was a statistically significant association between mothers talking to children directly about how to manage stress and the child subjects' levels of stress; (g) there were few gender-related differences in stressors, levels of stress and self-care actions to reduce stress.

It was recommended that (a) a supportive educative nursing system be implemented for stress education; (b) stressors, levels of stress, and self-care actions be studied in other age groups, racial/ethnic populations, and social classes; (c) a similar study be conducted with children and their fathers; (d) other variables be explored in relation to stress in children; and (e) the same design, methodolgy, and instruments be used to study stress.