Stress Test by Holmes and Rahe

Test Your Level of Stress

In a now-famous American study from 1967, Dr. Thomas H. Holmes and Dr. Richard H. Rahe created a do-it-yourself stress test. They examined the stress—measured the Life Changes (LCU)—that induced by experiences ranging from the death of a spouse to getting a traffic ticket. By adding the LCUs values of the past year, you can predict the likelihood of stress related illness or accident.

Total LCU below 150: 35% chance of illness or accident within two years
Total LCU between 150 - 300: 51%
Total LCU over 300: 80% chance of illness or accident

Adapted from the "Social Readjustment Rating Scale" by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe. This scale was first published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1967, vol. II p. 214.

Holmes and Rahe Life Change Scale Stress Test
What events have happened to you in the past 12 months?*

	Life Event ... Event Value	Your Score
	Death of Spouse	100
	Divorce	73
	Marital Separation	65
	Jail term	63
	Death of close family member	63
	Personal injury/illness	53
	Marriage	50
	Fired from work	47
	Marital reconciliation	45
	Retirement	45
	Change in family member's health	44
	Pregnancy	40
	Sex difficulties	39
	Addition to family	39
	Business readjustment	39
	Change in financial status	38
	Death of a close friend	37
	Change in number of marital arguments	35
	Mortgage/Loan greater than $10,000	31
	Foreclosure of mortgage/loan	30
	Change in work responsibilities	29
	Son/daughter leaving home	29
	Trouble with in-laws	29
	Outstanding achievement	28
	Spouse begins work	26
	Start or finish school	26
	Change in living conditions	25
	Revision of personal habits	24
	Trouble with boss	23
	Change in work hours, conditions	20
	Change in residence	20
	Change in school	20
	Change in recreational habits	19
	Change in religious activities	19
	Change in social activities	18
	Mortgage/Loan less than $10,000	18
	Change in sleeping habits	16
	Change in number of family gatherings	15
	Change in eating habits	15
	Vacation	13
	Celebrated Christmas/Hanukkah	12
	Minor violation of law	11
Total Score:
If your score is 200 points or more and you have not been feeling well, it might be wise to have a check-up. If your score is 200 or more and you're feeling good, you are probably handling the changes rather well. Click HERE for the article, "Turning Stress In to Success" *NOTE: The chart above is from Peninsular Behavioral Health http://www.covenanthealth.com/aboutus/pbh/pbh-lifechange.cfm

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