Stress is your physical and psychological response to the perception that the events in your life exceed your ability to cope with them. It�s also an unpleasant emotional state�one that�s accompanied by immediate physical symptoms we well as cumulative effects on long-term health.
Stress was first defined by scientists who were studying animals. To them, stress was an animal�s physiological response to being hurt or threatened. For human beings, particularly those living in affluent countries today, stress is more complicated. Since we�re not starving or being physically harmed, most of our stressors�the events or situations that cause stress�are psychological in nature.
To understand stress and how to cope with it, pioneering stress psychologists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe made a list of 43 common sources of stress and asked participants to rate the magnitude of adjustment they thought would be required to cope with each one. The result is a list called the Social Readjustment Rating Scale[1], which lists common stressors and assigns a number of �Life Change Units� to each one.
Later studies showed that sure enough, the stressors that ranked highest on the list predicted the subsequent onset of illness[2].
In 1998, the scale was revised using improved methodology, addressing concerns about the relevance and currency of some of the items, and avoiding items, such as �change in sleeping habits,� that might have been better categorized as a symptom or consequence of stress rather than the cause of it. The result was a new scale, called the Social Readjustment Rating Scale-Revised, based on clearly defined life events and excluding anything associated with stress symptoms[3].
Stressfulness Ratings for Life Events (out of 100)[3]
Death of spouse/mate: 87
Death of close family member: 79
Major injury/illness to self: 78
Detention in jail or other institution: 76
Major injury/illness to close family member: 72
Foreclosure on loan/mortgage: 71
Divorce: 71
Being a victim of crime: 70
Being the victim of police brutality: 69
Infidelity: 69
Experiencing domestic violence/sexual abuse: 69
Separation or reconciliation with spouse/mate: 66
Being fired/laid-off/unemployed: 64
Experiencing financial problems/difficulties: 62
Death of close friend: 61
Surviving a disaster: 59
Becoming a single parent: 59
Assuming responsibility for sick or elderly loved one: 56
Loss of or major reduction in health insurance/benefits: 56
Self/close family member being arrested for violating the law: 56
Major disagreement over child support/custody/visitation: 53
Experiencing/involved in auto accident: 53
Being disciplined at work/demoted: 53
Dealing with unwanted pregnancy: 51
Adult child moving in with parent/parent moving in with adult child: 50
Child develops behavior or learning problem: 49
Experiencing employment discrimination/sexual harassment: 48
Attempting to modify addictive behavior of self: 47
Discovering/attempting to modify addictive behavior of close family member: 46
Employer reorganization/downsizing: 45
Dealing with infertility/miscarriage: 44
Getting married/remarried: 43
Changing employers/careers: 42
Failure to obtain/qualify for a mortgage: 41
Pregnancy of self/spouse/mate: 39
Experiencing discrimination/harassment outside the workplace: 39
Release from jail: 38
Spouse/mate begins/ceases work outside the home: 37
Major disagreement with boss/co-worker: 35
Change in residence: 34
Finding appropriate child care/day care: 33
Experiencing a large unexpected monetary gain: 33
Changing positions (transfer, promotion): 33
Gaining a new family member: 33
Changing work responsibilities: 32
Child leaving home: 30
Obtaining a home mortgage: 30
Obtaining a major loan other than home mortgage: 30
Retirement: 28
Beginning/ceasing formal education: 26
Receiving a ticket for violating the law: 22
As you can see above, any life change that requires adjusting your lifestyle or behavior�including positive ones such as marriage or job promotions�can cause stress. Other research has found that positive events cause less distress and fewer physical symptoms than negative ones do[4].
Still, any big life change requires significant adjustment, and knowing the scale of stress you�re facing can help you to understand that you�re not alone, and prepare to meet the challenge.
?References?
1. Holmes, T.H., & Rahe, R.H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213-218.
2. Rahe, R.H., Mahan, J.L., & Arthur, R.J. (1970). Prediction of near-future health change from subjects� preceding life changes. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 14, 401-406.
3. Hobson, C., Kamen, J., Szostek, J., Nethercut, C., Tiedmann, J., & Wojnarowicz, S. (1998). Stressful life events: A revision and update of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. International Journal Of Stress Management, 5, 1-23.
4. McFarlane, A., Norman, G., Streiner, D., Roy, R., & Scott, D. (1980). A longitudinal study of the influence of the psychosocial environment on health status: A preliminary report. Journal of Health And Social Behavior, 21, 124-133.
