Holmes et. al. developed the following social readjustment scale as a objective method for measuring the cumulative stress to which a person has been subjected over a period of time. For an asessment of current stress level, confine your answers to events of the last year or two.
| STRESSFUL EVENT | IMPACT VALUE |
|
Death of spouse |
100 |
|
Divorce |
73 |
|
Marital separation |
65 |
|
Jail term |
63 |
|
Death of close family member |
63 |
|
Personal injury / illness / chemical dependency |
53 |
|
Marriage |
50 |
|
Fired at work |
47 |
|
Marital reconciliation |
45 |
|
Retirement |
45 |
|
Change in health of family member |
44 |
|
Pregnancy |
40 |
|
Sex difficulties |
39 |
|
Gain new family member |
39 |
|
Business readjustment |
39 |
|
Change in financial state |
38 |
|
Death of close friend |
37 |
|
Change to new line of work |
36 |
|
Change in number of arguments with spouse |
35 |
|
High mortgage |
31 |
|
Foreclosure of loan |
30 |
|
Change in work responsibilities |
29 |
|
Child leaves home |
29 |
|
Trouble with in-law |
29 |
|
Outstanding personal achievement |
28 |
|
Spouse begins/stops work |
26 |
|
Begin/end school |
26 |
|
Change in living conditions |
25 |
|
Change in residence |
20 |
|
Change in schools |
20 |
|
Revision of personal habits |
24 |
|
Trouble with boss |
23 |
|
Change in work hours or conditions |
20 |
|
Change in recreation |
19 |
|
Change in church activities |
19 |
|
Change in social activities |
18 |
|
Small loan |
17 |
|
Change in sleeping habits |
16 |
|
Change in number of family get togethers |
15 |
|
Change in eating habits |
15 |
|
Vacation |
13 |
|
Christmas |
12 |
|
Minor violations of the law |
11 |
As you can see, stress is caused by change. Even a change that we regard as positive is often quite stressful. A score of 150-199 is considered mild, with 200-299 being moderate stress. A score of 300 or more for recent events indicates a severe threat to personal well-being.
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