PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES OF STRESS (SRRS/PERSONALITY TESTS/ BIOFEEDBACK)

Question 1

What is the Social Readjustment Rating Scale?

Answer 1

• The SRRS is a 43 item self-report scale developed by Holmes and Rahe (1967) that measures stress based on life events. It’s designed to predict the likelihood of developing stress-related illness.

Question 2

How does the SRRS work? How can it be used to measure stress?

Answer 2

1. Ppts select ‘life events’ that has occured within the past 12 months. (Each event has a Life Changing Unit)
2. The total Life Changing Units are added up to predict the liklihood of suffering a stress-related illness.

It assumes that major life changes require psychological adjustment, which creates stress. The scale quantifies this stress, allowing researchers or clinicians to predict possible health outcomes.

Question 3

Give 2 examples of some life events

Answer 3

• Death of a spouse- 100 LCU
• Holiday- 13 LCU

Question 4

What is the ‘Personality Type Questionnaire’?

Answer 4

A questionnaire developed by Friedman and Rosenman (1974) to assess whether someone has a Type A or Type B personality—personality types linked to stress and heart disease.

Question 5

How does Freidman and Roseman’s questionnaire’s work? and how does it measure stress?

Answer 5

• Participants answer questions that assess traits like competitiveness, hostility and time urgency.

Type A: Highly competitive, time-urgent, aggressive → associated with higher stress levels and greater risk of CHD (coronary heart disease).

Type B: More relaxed, tolerant, less competitive → lower stress levels

Determines how likely someone is to experience or react to stress based on their personality type.

Question 6

Give 2 examples of questions on the Freidman & Roseman (1973) Persoanlity Types Questionnaire?

Answer 6

• ‘Do you feel guilty for spending your spare time to relax’?
• ‘Do you often try to do more than one thing at a time?’

Question 7

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of using the SRRS/ Persoanlity tests to measure stress?

Answer 7

• Strength= Quantifiable- provides a numerical score for stress, which allows for easy comparison and statisical analysis (predicative data).
• Weakness= Social desirability bias- requires interpretations which are subjective, ppts may not give truthful awnsers due to social desirability (they may not want to admit their prone to hostility or may not be aware taht they are)

Question 8

Issues & debates

Answer 8

• Cultural validity: Developed in the 60s/70s America
• Reductionism: Dichotomous view of personality (a complex phenomena existing in a spectrum)
  Real world application-
• Helps with understanding causes of stress
• Can help with treatment development(stress management/ screening tools/ prevantive strategies.
  (This has a positive influence on society/ individual (everyone experinces stress)