This study examined whether preadolescents (fifth and sixth graders) perceived the same effects of parents' job stress as suggested by parent reports. Participating were 53 dual-earner families and 28 single-mother families in which all parents were employed at least part-time. Families were mostly European-American, middle-class, highly educated; some had very high incomes. Data were collected 4 or 5 times daily for 5 consecutive days (Monday through Friday). Before leaving the workplace, parents rated their feelings during interactions with coworkers and supervisors that day. Ratings of seven negative adjectives were combined to create the measure of job stress. Before going to bed, parents and children rated their interaction with one another that evening. Results indicated that fathers reported that they were less responsive with children after days with more job stress. Children's descriptions of father's behavior supported this finding. Fathers reported that they were more irritable with children after days with more social stress. But children did not notice this change in the fathers' behavior on those evenings. Both groups of mothers reported that they were more responsive with their children after stressful work days. Children's descriptions of mothers' behavior supported this finding. The data support the view that fathers used social withdrawal to cope with social stressors at work, but mothers did not. Mothers may have used family life to compensate for stressful work days. There was some evidence of a negative emotion spillover effect among fathers, but data from children did not support fathers' reports. (Contains six references.) (KB)