Occurrence Of Major Life Events Research Articles

Work-related stress and associated factors among health professionals working in Ambo town public health facilities, West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia, 2021: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo assess work-related stress (WRS) and associated factors among health professionals working in Ambo town governmental health facilities, in 2021.DesignInstitution-based analytical cross-sectional study.SettingInstitution-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Ambo...

Stability and change of perceived characteristics of major life events.

The occurrence of major life events is associated with changes in well-being and personality. To better understand these effects, it is important to consider how individuals perceive major life events. Although theories such as appraisal theory and affective adaptation theory suggest that event perceptions change over time and that these changes are relevant for personality and well-being, stability and change of perceived event characteristics have not been systematically examined. This article aims to fill this gap using data from a longitudinal study (N = 619 at T1). In this study, participants rated nine perceived characteristics of the same major life event up to five times within 1 year. We estimated rank-order and mean-level stabilities as well as intraclass correlations of these life event characteristics with continuous time models. Furthermore, we computed continuous time models for the stability of affective well-being and the Big Five personality traits to generate benchmarks for the interpretation of the stability of the life event characteristics. Rank-order stabilities for the life event characteristics were lower than for the Big Five, but higher than for affective well-being. Most of the variance in life event characteristics was explained by between-person differences. Furthermore, we found a significant mean-level increase for the life event characteristic change in world views and a significant decrease for extraordinariness. These mean-level changes are in line with the meaning-making literature and affective adaptation theory, whereas the rather high rank-order stability of the life event characteristics challenges the importance of reappraisal processes of major life events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The mediating role of shame and fear of compassion on the relationship between major life events and depressive symptoms

An extensive body of research has showed the impact of major life events on depressive symptoms. However, the underlying psychological processes that contribute to this association are still unclear. The present study aims to explore the mediating role of external shame and fears of receiving compassion on the associations of the number of major life events and their appraisals by the individual with depressive symptoms. Participants were 400 Portuguese-speaking adults from the general population (121 men and 279 women) with ages between 18 and 65 years, that completed self-report measures. Correlation analysis showed significant and positive associations between the number of major life events that occurred in the previous year and the positive and negative appraisal of such events, external shame, fears of receiving compassion, and depressive symptoms. Path analysis revealed that external shame and fears of receiving compassion fully mediated the effects of number of life events on depressive symptoms. Furthermore, results showed a direct effect of negative appraisal of major life events on depressive symptoms. This study sheds light on the psychological processes that may underlie the relationship between the cumulative number of major life events and depressive symptoms. Specifically, it suggests that the occurrence of major life events can impact on depressive symptoms when associated with feelings of shame and fears of receiving compassion from others.

Components of schizophrenia liability affect the growth of psychological stress sensitivity following major life events

BackgroundSome argue that physiological and psychological stress sensitivities contribute causally to schizophrenia. Indeed, evidence shows that those with or at risk for schizophrenia have highly sensitive stress responses. However, it is unclear how psychological stress sensitivity develops. Our aim was to test whether psychological stress sensitization develops longitudinally in association with major life events and components of schizophrenia liability. We expected schizophrenia liability to predict higher psychological stress sensitivity; life events to predict subsequent increases in psychological stress sensitivity; and schizophrenia liability to moderate this relationship. MethodsIn a prospective study, undergraduates (n = 184) completed a measure of schizophrenia liability at baseline. Then at 2-month intervals over 6 months, they reported on the occurrence of major life events and completed measures of psychological stress sensitivity. ResultsLatent variable growth modelling showed that stress sensitivity increased following incident life events when controlling for baseline life events. Higher cognitive-perceptual and interpersonal scores predicted higher baseline sensitivity. Higher cognitive-perceptual features predicted larger increases in psychological stress sensitivity following life events whereas greater disorganization reduced growth. ConclusionsThis evidence is consistent with the idea that psychological sensitization is involved in the development of schizophrenia and suggests an important link between positive features of schizophrenia liability and the magnification of psychological stress sensitivity.

Stress in Patients With (Un)ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms vs Population-Based Controls

Stress is associated with increased risk of stroke and might predispose to presence and rupture of intracranial aneurysms. To study the association of recent and lifelong stress with unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (ASAH). In 227 UIA patients (mean age 61±11 yr), 490 ASAH patients (59±11 yr), and 775 controls (51±15 yr) who were randomly retrieved from the general population, we assessed occurrence of major life events and perceived stress during the preceding 12 mo and the entire life. With multivariable logistic regression analysis, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for 4 categories of life events (financial-related, work-related, children-related, and death of family members) and for periods of perceived stress at home and at work (never vs sometimes, often, or always). We adjusted for sex, age, alcohol consumption, smoking, and hypertension. The 4 categories of life events and perceived stress at work had ORs ranging from 0.4 to 1.7, of which financial stress for UIA was statistically significant (95% CI: 1.1-2.5). ORs for chronic perceived stress at home in the previous year were 4.3 (95% CI: 1.8-10.3) for UIA and 2.5 (1.2-5.5) for ASAH, and for lifelong exposure 5.7 (2.2-14.5) for UIA and 3.0 (1.3-7.0) for ASAH. For some components of stress, there may be a relation with UIA and ASAH. The mechanisms underlying this relation should be unraveled; strategies to improve coping with stress may reduce the risk of rupture in patients with unruptured aneurysms.

Life events, social support and depression.

This paper reviews current findings regarding social stress and support in clinical depression. Comparisons of recent life events at depressive onset and in general population controls show consistently raised event rates. The events span a range of threatening and undesirable experiences, with limited selectivity to exit events and interpersonal losses. Effects are similar in endogenous and non-endogenous symptom pictures, and there are suggestive findings in bipolar disorder, but these require further study. Events are also related to outcome and to relapse. Effects are moderate in degree, but relatively short-term of over six months to a year. For social support there are greater problems in the extent to which social support may be determined by the individual's own behaviour. Absence of social support appears to be associated with onset and relapse of depression, both acting independently and modifying effects of life events. Social stress findings have implications for prevention. The occurrence of major life events signals a period of increased risk when supportive interventions may prevent evolution of distress to disorder.

Life events and daily hassles and uplifts as predictors of hospitalization and outpatient visitation

Increased occurrence of major life events and daily “hassles” and “uplifts” have been shown to be associated with several measures of health status and health care utilization. In order to test for such an association with hospital admission, a prospective study was designed. Navajo Indians presenting for either inpatient or outpatient health care at a U.S. Indian Health Service facility were questioned regarding the occurrence of major life events in the preceding six months and of hassles and uplifts in the preceding week. Two years later the subsequent numbers of outpatient visits and of hospital admissions were determined for each subject. An increased number of either major life events (relative risk 1.66) or daily hassles and uplifts (relative risk 1.87) was found to be associated with an increased risk of hospital admission. The effects of major and daily life events were additive on the risk of admission. In addition, hassles were predictive of subsequent outpatient utilization. While further demonstrating the influence of major and daily life occurrences on health care utilization, this study also shows their importance in an additional cultural setting.