5.3 Stress as a Stimulus SRRS

Stress as a stimulus theories view stress as

a significant life event or change that demands a response, adjustment, or adaptation

Homles and Rahe (1967) created the SRRS consisting of

43 checklist items, i.e. subjective quantitative data

Each item is a significant life event, scored according

to the estimated degree of adjustment each event demands of the person experiencing it, within the last 12 months. Items that lead to distress and eustress were added

The total score of each item is added together such that:

-          Scores <150 suggest ~30% chance of stress induced illness in the next 2 years

-          Scores 150<300 suggest ~50% chance of major illness in the next 2 years

-          Scores >300 suggest ~80% chance of major illness over the next 2 years

The SRRS model assumes:

That individuals experience each stressor in the same way, requiring the same amount of adjustment and change

There is a common threshold of adjustment beyond which illness occurs

A particular social and cultural norm about the importance for key life events such as marriage, divorce rates and education