Assessing the impact of life changes: Development of the Life Experiences Survey.

Abstract

This article describes the development of a new instrument, the Life Experiences Survey, for the measurement of life changes. It was designed to eliminate certain shortcomings of previous life stress measures and allows for separate assessment of positive and negative life experiences as well as individualize d ratings of the impact of events. Several studies bearing on the usefulness of the Life Experiences Survey are presented, and the implications of the findings are discussed. During recent years, numerous studies have investigated the relationship between life stress and susceptibility to physical and psychological problems. Most of these studies have been based on the assumptions that (a) life changes require adaptation on the part of the individual and are stressful, and (b) persons experiencing marked degrees of life change during the recent past are susceptible to physical and psychiatric problems. There is considerable evidence that a relationship exists between life stress, operationally defined in terms of self-reported life changes, and physical illness (Dohrenwcnd & Dohrenwend, 1974b). Rahe and Lind (1971) have reported a relationship between life stress and sudden cardiac death. Theorcll and Rahe (1971) and Edwards (1971) have provided data suggestive of a link between life stress and myocardial infarction. Holmes (1970) and Rahe (1968) both found a relationship between life stress and major and minor health