Introduction

Although it is long established that stress is related to ill health and psychological distress, there remains ambiguity about the dimensions of stress involved in this process, specifically the types of stressors that have more deleterious effects on health. To study the naturalistic stress process, the field requires valid and reliable measures of life events, to use in conjunction [Page 562]with measures of vulnerability to stress. A life events scale is a comprehensive list of external events and situations (stressors) that are hypothesized to place demands that exceed the capacity of the average individual to adapt. Sample items in life events scales include recent divorce or separation, the death of a close family member, a job loss, moving, and the onset of a health problem.

Two ...