Measuring Stress

Interestingly they have given 50 Stress points for Marriage :) Stress scales are lists of life events that can contribute to illnes...

Interestingly they have given 50 Stress points for Marriage :)

Stress scales are lists of life events that can contribute to illness in an individual. The most common scale is the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, also known as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, or SRRS.^[20] Developed by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967, the scale lists 43 events that can cause stress.

To calculate one's score, add up the number of "life change units" if an event occurred in the past year. A score of more than 300 means that individual is at risk for illness, a score between 150 and 299 means risk of illness is moderate, and a score under 150 means that individual only has a slight risk of illness.^[18][20]

Life event	Life change units
Death of a spouse	100
Divorce	73
Marital separation	65
Imprisonment	63
Death of a close family member	63
Personal injury or illness	53
Marriage	50
Dismissal from work	47
Marital reconciliation	45
Retirement	45
Change in health of family member	44
Pregnancy	40
Sexual difficulties	39
Gain a new family member	39
Business readjustment	39
Change in financial state	38
Death of a close friend	37
Change to different line of work	36
Change in frequency of arguments	35
Major	32
Foreclosure	30
Change in responsibilities at work	29
Child leaving home	29
Trouble with in-laws	29
Outstanding personal achievement	28
Spouse starts or stops work	26
Begin or end school	26
Change in living conditions	25
Revision of personal habits	24
Trouble with boss	23
Change in working hours or conditions	20
Change in residence	20
Change in schools	20
Change in recreation	19
Change in church activities	19
Change in social activities	18
Minor	17
Change in sleeping habits	16
Change in number of family reunions	15
Change in eating habits	15
Vacation	13
Christmas	12
Minor violation of law	11

A modified version was made for non-adults. The scale is below.^[18]

Life Event	Life Change Units
Death of parent	100
Getting married	95
Divorce of parents	90
Acquiring a visible deformity	80
Fathering an unwed pregnancy	70
Jail sentence of parent for over one year	70
Marital separation of parents	69
Death of a brother or sister	68
Change in acceptance by peers	67
Pregnancy of unwed sister	64
Discovery of being an adopted child	63
Marriage of parent to stepparent	63
Death of a close friend	63
Having a visible congenital deformity	62
Serious illness requiring hospitalization	58
Failure of a grade in school	56
Not making an extracurricular activity	55
Hospitalization of a parent	55
Jail sentence of parent for over 30 days	53
Breaking up with boyfriend or girlfriend	53
Beginning to date	51
Suspension from school	50
Becoming involved with drugs or alcohol	50
Birth of a brother or sister	50
Increase in arguments between parents	47
Loss of job by parent	46
Outstanding personal achievement	46
Change in parent's financial status	45
Accepted at college of choice	43
Being a senior in high school	42
Hospitalization of a sibling	41
Increased absence of parent from home	38
Brother or sister leaving home	37
Addition of third adult to family	34
Becoming a full fledged member of a church	31
Decrease in arguments between parents	27
Decrease in arguments with parents	26
Mother or father beginning work	26

[edit] Some Common Misconceptions about Stress

Stress, as a definition, is often used incorrectly. Stressors are events, situations, stimuli, etc. that can cause people to perceive threat, thus they experience anxiety, overwhelmed-ness, or other negative emotions. In fact it is not these events, these traumas, conversations, etc. that "stress" us out, but instead our perception of how we will be able to cope with these stimuli. (See definition of stress at top)
Physiologically, day to day/chronic stressors have a greater negative impact on individuals' health than do more acute, traumatic stressors that generally have a start and an end point (see classic stress response, above). For example, daily stressors like dealing with traffic, finishing homework assignments, etc., cause more harm on one's health in the long run than do stressors such as a death in the family, marriage, etc. (see "types of stressors" above; crisis/catastrophes v. major life events/macro stressors v. daily hassles/micro stressors