Weighing in on the Stress Scale

A Score of 300+ indicates you are at risk of illness.

A Score of 150-299+ indicates your risk of illness is moderate (reduced by 30% from the above risk).

A Score 150- indicates you have only have a slight risk of illness.

RESEARCH SUPPORTS THE SCALE AS A MEASURE OF STRESS RELATIVE TO ILLNESS

Rahe carried out a study in 1970 testing the reliability of the scale as a predictor of illness. It was applied to 2,664 US sailors and they were asked to rate scores of 'life events' over the previous six months.

Over the next six months, detailed records were kept of the sailors' health. There was a +0.118 correlation between the stress scores and illness, which was sufficient to support the hypothesis of a link between stressful life events and illness.

In conjunction with the Cornell medical index assessing, the stress scores correlated with visits to medical dispensaries, and also correlated independently with individuals dropping out of stressful underwater demolitions training due to medical problems.

Additionally, it has also been assessed against different populations within the United States (with African, Hispanic and White American groups), and tested cross-culturally, comparing Japanese and Malaysian groups with American populations.

THE ORIGINAL STRESS TEST

Patients were asked to tally a list of 43 life events based on a relative score. A positive correlation was found between their life events and their illnesses.

The studies results were first published as the Social Readjustment Rating, which has come to known simply as the Stress Scale. Subsequent validation has supported the links between stress and illness.

Also refer to the related scale as indicators of Childhood and Teenage Stress

Contact Us if you would like to receive a copy of the stress scale.