Researchers have pointed out that the effects of generic stressors such as poverty may be mediated through other stressors in the microsystem of parent-child relationships or personal characteristics of family members. Specific, potential mediating stressors were sought in this study involving 191 low income Moslem families who had immigrated from North Africa and who had lived and worked for at least 2 years in Paris, France. Data were obtained from developmental assessments of 24-month-old children and parent interview records. Screening records provided information about medical conditions, family characteristics, and the demographics of family life. Records also provided evidence of any behavior problems in children and indicated whether the mother, father, or both reported feeling overwhelmed by their life circumstances. With the available data, a comparison was made of 36 overwhelmed immigrant mothers and 155 non-overwhelmed immigrant mothers. Items in four domains of potential stressors were predicted to differentiate between the two groups: ecological stressors, medical or health stressors, parental personal and interpersonal stressors, and child problems and difficulties. Ecological and medical stressors did not markedly differentiate the two groups. Parental or family interaction and child social behavior stressors did differentiate the groups, and did so strikingly. Interventions at the microsystemic level with poor immigrant families were recommended. (RH)