This project consists of all the associated data and analysis code for the manuscript: Smith, K.E., Graf, E., Faig, K.E., Dimitroff, S.J., Rockwood, F., Hernandez, M.W., Norman, G.J. (2023). Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents' perceptions of stress. *Scientific Reports* **Abstract** The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding what contributes to individual variability in experiences of stress. Increases in stress related to the pandemic have been especially pronounced in parents, indicating a need for research examining what factors contribute to parents’ perceptions of stress. Here, we assessed the relationship between parents’ perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and experiences of childhood trauma in two populations of caregivers. In Study 1, we examined the relationship between perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and history of early stress, along with indices of socioeconomic risk in caregivers of young children. Perceived control, loneliness, and childhood stress predicted caregivers’ stress. In Study 2, we replicated these initial findings in a second sample of caregivers. Additionally, we examined how these processes change over time. Caregivers demonstrated significant changes in perceptions of control, loneliness, and stress, and changes in control and childhood trauma history were associated with changes in perceptions of stress. Together these results indicate the importance of assessing how caregivers perceive their environment when examining what contributes to increased risk for stress. Additionally, they suggest that caregivers’ stress-related processes are malleable and provide insight into potential targets for interventions aimed at reducing parents’ stress.