Technique 1.111 Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Scale
Instructions
Identify, ie circle, the points value of each of these life events that has happened to you during the last 12 months; then total these points.
| No. |
Life Event |
Mean Value |
| 1. | death of a spouse | 100 |
| 2. | divorce | 73 |
| 3. | marital separation from partner | 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. | being fired at work | 47 |
| 9. | marital reconciliation with partner | 45 |
| 10. | retirement from work | 45 |
| 11. | major change in the health or behaviour of a family member | 44 |
| 13. | sexual difficulties | 39 |
| 14. | gaining a new family member, ie birth, adoption, older adults moving in, etc | 39 |
| 15. | major business readjustment | 39 |
| 16. | major change in financial stage, ie 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, ie either a lot more or a lot less than usual around child rearing, personal habits, etc | 35 |
| 20. | taking on a mortgage, ie for home, business, etc | 31 |
| 21. | foreclosure on a mortgage or loan | 30 |
| 22. | major changes in responsibility at work, ie promotion, demotion, etc | 29 |
| 23. | son or daughter leaving home, ie marrying, attending college, joining military, etc | 29 |
| 24. | in-law troubles | 29 |
| 25. | outstanding personal achievement | 28 |
| 26. | spouse beginning or ceasing work around the home | 26 |
| 27. | beginning or ceasing formal schooling | 26 |
| 28. | major changes in living conditions, eg new home, remodelling, deterioration of neighbourhood or home, etc | 25 |
| 29. | revision of personal habits, eg press matters, joining association, quitting smoking, etc | 24 |
| 30. | troubles with 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, ie a lot more or less than usual | 19 |
| 36. | major change in social activities, ie clubs, movies, visiting, etc | 18 |
| 37. | taking out a loan , ie car, household goods, etc | 17 |
| 38. | major change in sleeping habits, ie 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, ie a lot more or less food intake, very different meal hours or surroundings, etc | 15 |
| 41. | vacation | 13 |
| 42. | major holidays | 12 |
| 43. | minor violation of law, eg traffic tickets, jaywalking, disturbing the peace, etc | 11 |
| TOTAL (add up all the points in your scores) |
(source: https://www.stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/stress-inventory-1.pdf)
Meaning of your score
- 150 points or less means a relatively low amount of life change and low susceptibility to stress-induced health breakdown
- 150 to 300 points implies about a 50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next 2 years
- Over 300 raises the odds to about 80% chance of a major health breakdown in the next 2 years