The lives of 505 individuals born in 1955 on the island of Kauai (Hawaii) were followed from the prenatal period to adulthood to elucidate their resilience in the face of childhood adversity or their recovery in later years. The Kauai Longitudinal Study monitored the impact of a variety of biological and psychosocial risk factors, stressful life events, and protective factors on the development of these individuals from a mixture of ethnic groups (primarily Japanese, Hawaiian, and Pilipino). One of every three members of this cohort was born with the odds against successful development. Nevertheless, one of every three of these high risk children had developed into a confident, capable, and caring young adult by age 18. This book, the fourth about this cohort, examines members at 30 years of age, with emphasis on work life, marriage, and parenthood. Attention is paid to outcomes for teenage mothers, juvenile delinquents, and children with mental health problems as they mature. A common core of individual differences and sources of support is beginning to emerge that ameliorates or buffers a person's responses to constitutional risk factors or stressful life events. Several case histories and vignettes illustrate the struggles of cohort members. Twenty-eight tables in two appendices and nine figures supplement the discussion. Included are 142 references. (SLD)