Scaling of Life Events

Bibliographic Data

ID23354593
AuthorsEugene S Paykel (corresponding author)
Year1971
Volume25
Issue4
Pages340
Publication date1971-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchives of General Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-990X • E-ISSN: 1538-3636
PublisherAmerican Medical Association (AMA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1001/archpsyc.1971.01750160052010
PMID5116988
OpenAlexW2066779981
LanguageEN
Citations received84
References cited3

Varied subjects were asked to judge, on a 0 to 20 scale, the degree to which 61 life events were upsetting. Mean event scores covered almost the entire scale range and ranked in a meaningful way. At the top end of the scale were catastrophic and highly distressing events such as deaths of child or spouse. At the bottom of the scale were events which were either trivial, or important but desirable and not distressing. Consistency of the scaling indicated acceptable interrater reliability. Individual variability reflected in standard deviations was moderate. Agreement across groups was high, although there were small differences due to sociodemographic group, item order, and recent experience of the event. Consensus scaling of events may facilitate use of a quantified methodology in empirical studies of life stress.

Cartography · Consistency (knowledge bases) · Developmental psychology · Distressing · Event (particle physics) · Geography · Inter-rater reliability · Rating scale · Reliability (semiconductor) · Scale (ratio) · Scaling · Spouse · Statistics · Clinical Psychology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Health disparities and outcomes · Mathematics · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology