Three studies that examined children's processes of coping with expressions of anger between adults are discussed. Study 1 investigated children's responses to anger involving the mother as a function of marital history and history of interparent hostility. Study 2 investigated individual styles of coping with anger. Multi-dimensional aspects of responding, including behavioral, physiological, and verbal responses, were considered. Study 3 explored children's responses to different forms of the expression of anger. Findings indicated that: (1) children responded to parents' anger as a stressor; (2) a sensitization hypothesis may describe the ways in which children's coping patterns were altered by marital discord; (3) subjects were characterized by discrete patterns of response to anger for many social, emotional, and physiological response dimensions; (4) response organization was stable over time; (5) all forms of angry interactions were perceived as negative events and elicited negative emotions; (6) unresolved anger was perceived as a far more negative event than resolved anger and induced far greater feelings of anger and distress in children; and (7) boys consistently reported more angry responses than girls and girls tended to report more feelings of distress. Suggestions for further research are offered. (RH)