INDIVIDUAL VIEWPOINTS OF STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS

Large sample average ratings of the amount of life change caused by experiencing selected events (e.g., marriage, loss of job, and change of residence) have become a popular means for indexing levels of stress in studies relating social factors to physical disease and psychiatric disability. The present investigation assessed whether change alone provides an adequate representation of the salient qualities of life events and whether individuals differ systematically in their perceptions of qualitative features of events. A 3-mode factor analysis was applied to ratings by 85 undergraduates of 44 events on 6 bipolar scales. Three S factors, 3 event factors, and 3 scale factors were obtained, with the pattern of interrelations among the 3 sets of factors indicating that different types of individuals rated qualities of events in different ways. It is concluded that important characteristics of events may vary widely among individuals and that future assessment of the properties of life stress be both multidimensional and specific for individuals. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.