Does steric hindrance affect stability? If so, how?

Steric hindrance or steric resistance occurs when the size of groups within a molecule prevents chemical reactions that are observed in related smaller molecules.

Although steric hindrance is sometimes a problem, it can also be a very useful tool, and is often exploited by chemists to change the reactivity pattern of a molecule by stopping unwanted side-reactions (steric protection). So this effect is manifested when two or more groups or atoms come in close proximity to each other (precisely within each other’s van der Waals radii and result in a mutual repulsion. This makes the molecule unstable. Sheer bulk of the atoms or groups and their proximity can have serious implications. The usual physical clash between groups, almost always is accompanied by an electronic component as well. This is called stereoelectronic effect. When the two atoms get to close, into each other’s van der Waal’s radii, the electron cloud surrounding each atom repel each other leading to a lot of destabilization. So with increase in hindrance stability decreases.