Life events and personal problems: Their physiological and emotional effects

Abstract

A large body of research deals with the effect of life events (LE) on stress and health. Since the findings were controversial, attempts were made to circumscribe the kind or aspect of LEs affecting stress. Our purpose was to show that it is not the LE per se but the problem to which it is related (problem-ladenness) or personal problems which are stress related. Subjects were 68 healthy men and women, 29 to 53 years old. They were examined on physiological stress measures (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], white blood cell count and aggregated white blood cells in peripheral blood), and were administered the Life Experiences Survey, the Personal Problems (PP) scale, Eysenck's neuroticism scale, Tellegen's stress reaction, emotional scales (The Profile of Mood States and the Positive Emotions Check List) and the Strelau Temperament Inventory. The findings showed that problem-ladenness was a distinct aspect of LEs, related only lowly to the number of LEs, regardless of their appraisal, but correlated highly with number of PPs. The number of LEs and the number of negative LEs were each related to only one stress index. The number of positive LEs was related to counter-stress indices, mainly increased positive emotions. LEs high on problem-ladenness were related to many stress indices (e.g., neuroticism, tension-anxiety, depression). The number of PPs was related to these, to increased ESR, anger, and to decreased excitation and vigor. The conclusions are that problem-ladenness is the stress-effective element in LEs and that the number of PPs provides a preferable, direct, simple and fast measure of a major stress determinant for both genders.