It is not stressful circumstances, as such, that do harm to children. Rather, it is the quality of their interpersonal relationships and their transactions with the wider social and material environment that lead to behavioral, emotional, and physical health problems. If stress matters, it is in terms of how it influences the relationships that are important to the child.
ATTRIBUTION:
Felton Earls (20th century), U.S. psychiatrist. In Support of Families, ed. Michael W. Yogman and T. Berry Brazelton, ch. 2 (1986).
