Life events assessment: Current practices, emerging trends

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Abstract

The study of stressful life events and disorder has become a prolific area of research in the past two decades, While a large literature suggests the importance and viability of this approach for studying basic stress and disease relationships, many important assessment issues require reevaluation. In particular, current assessment procedures are characterized by a wide range of varied practices. Given the lack of standardized procedures, combined with the inadequate psychometric properties of the life events instruments themselves, assessment issues may be most important for advancing knowledge of event-illness associations. Alternative approaches to assessing events, particularly taking into consideration the complex associations between events themselves, are outlined in the present paper as examples of assessment strategies that may more accurately reflect the importance of life events. Finally, the implications of such considerations for both theoretical and clinical issues are addressed.

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