The study reported here considered the nature of associations among children's behavior problems, parenting stress, and mothers’ feelings of competence. Seventy-two adoptive mothers reported on their adopted children's behavior problems, their own parenting stress, and feelings of competence. Parenting stress was found to mediate the association between children's attention problems and mothers’ feelings of competence. When children exhibited higher levels of attention problems, their mothers felt more stress. In turn, when mothers experienced more parenting stress, they felt less competent as parents. Parenting stress moderated the association between children's internalizing behavior and mothers’ feelings of competence. A negative relationship between children's internalizing behavior and mothers’ feelings of competence was stronger when mothers reported more parenting stress than when they reported less parenting stress.