2.2 Identifying your Holmes–Rahe stress factors
In the following activity you will look at your own stress factors as identified by Holmes and Rahe.
Activity 3 About you: stress factors
Take a look through the stress factors identified by Holmes and Rahe (see Table 1). Tally up your score of the events that have happened to you in the last year. People frequently say this tool helps them see their lives in a different way, and to acknowledge why they are struggling.
| Life event | Mean value | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death of spouse | 100 |
| 2 | Divorce | 73 |
| 3 | Marital separation | 65 |
| 4 | Detention in jail or other institution | 63 |
| 5 | Death of a close family member | 63 |
| 6 | Major personal injury or illness | 53 |
| 7 | Marriage | 50 |
| 8 | Redundancy | 47 |
| 9 | Marital reconciliation | 45 |
| 10 | Retirement from work | 45 |
| 11 | Major change in the health or behaviour of a family member | 44 |
| 12 | Pregnancy | 40 |
| 13 | Sexual difficulties | 39 |
| 14 | Gaining a new family member (i.e. birth, adoption, older adult moving in, etc.) | 39 |
| 15 | Major reorganisation at work | 39 |
| 16 | Major change in financial state (i.e. a lot worse or better off than usual) | 38 |
| 17 | Death of a close friend | 37 |
| 18 | Changing to a different line of work | 36 |
| 19 | Major change in the number of arguments with spouse (i.e. either a lot more or a lot less than usual regarding child rearing, personal habits, etc.) | 35 |
| 20 | Taking on a mortgage | 31 |
| 21 | Foreclosure on a mortgage or loan | 30 |
| 22 | Major change in responsibilities at work (i.e. promotion, demotion, etc.) | 29 |
| 23 | Son or daughter leaving home (marriage, attending university) | 29 |
| 24 | In-law troubles | 29 |
| 25 | Outstanding personal achievement | 28 |
| 26 | Spouse beginning or ceasing work outside the home | 26 |
| 27 | Beginning or ceasing formal schooling | 26 |
| 28 | Major change in living condition (new home, home improvements, deterioration of neighbourhood or home, etc.) | 25 |
| 29 | Change to personal habits (dress, quitting smoking) | 24 |
| 30 | Troubles with the boss | 23 |
| 31 | Major changes in working hours or conditions | 20 |
| 32 | Changes in residence | 20 |
| 33 | Changing to a new school | 20 |
| 34 | Major change in usual type and/or amount of recreation | 19 |
| 35 | Major change in church activity (i.e. a lot more or a lot less than usual) | 19 |
| 36 | Major change in social activities (clubs, movies, visiting, etc.) | 18 |
| 37 | Taking on a loan (car, tv, freezer, etc.) | 17 |
| 38 | Major change in sleeping habits (a lot more or a lot less than usual) | 16 |
| 39 | Major change in number of family get togethers | 15 |
| 40 | Major change in eating habits (a lot more or less food intake, or very different meal hours or surroundings) | 15 |
| 41 | Holiday | 13 |
| 42 | Major holidays | 12 |
| 43 | Minor violations of the law (parking tickets, etc.) | 11 |
Comment
Some of these factors may surprise you, in particular that events often seen as positive can be sources of stress too. The aim here is just to increase your awareness of the different stresses you might be facing. According to the American Institute of Stress (n.d.):
150 points or fewer means a relatively low amount of life change and a low susceptibility to stress-induced health issues
300 points or more raises the likelihood of significant health issues in the next two years to about 80%, according to the Holmes–Rahe statistical prediction model.