Rahe Aims and Context

Aims and Context

Previous research that took place into the link between stress and illness was by Rosenman and Friedman in the 1950s. This study looked at the link between stress and heart disease. They observed patients with heart conditions in a waiting room and noticed they were very fidgety and unable to sit still. Rosenman and Friedman concluded they have a Type A personality, which means they are known to put themselves under pressure to succeed.

However, studies from the 1950s have been criticised for three reasons, which were they used participants that were in hospital for severe physical and mental illnesses, so everyday stresses may not be related to the findings, they were retrospective, so accounts from patients may be inaccurate and illnesses can affect perceptions, so they may be more exaggerated and unreliable. One final reason is there was a lack of control over patient’s environments so different everyday experiences may affect the results, so they could not establish cause and effect as it was unclear why they were more likely to be ill.

In 1967, Holmes and Rahe devised a stress measuring scale called the Schedule of Recent Experiences (SRE) which assessed the impact of various life changes on the individual. They asked a sample of participants to indicate how much re-adjustment would be needed (how long they need to get back to normal). A high score meant they needed a lot of re-adjustment, a low score a lesser amount. Each of the 43 life events was given a Life Change Unit (LCU) score, e.g. marriage, achievement, divorce etc.

A score of 150 LCU or more on the SRE measuring stress levels increased the chances of stress-related health problems by 30%, and a score over 300 increased the chances by 50%.

The aim of Rahe et al’s study was to carry out a prospective study (looking at people with recent stressful experiences and monitor future illnesses) using a non-hospital environment in controlled conditions to establish if stress has an...