Life Events

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Examples of Life Events

Everyone experiences major life events during their life. These can be predictable or unpredictable depending on the person's life course. Life events are also known as transitions. 

  • Driving- theory and practical
  • Moving house
  • New jobs/first job
  • Having children
  • Having new siblings
  • Changing school/starting school
  • Getting married
  • Graduating university 
  • Breaking down of a relationship 
  • Divorce
  • Promotion/ redundancy 
  • Injury/illness
  • Death of someone close 
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Transitions

Physical:

  • Changing of workplace
  • Moving house
  • Starting/ moving school

Emotional:

  • Marriage
  • Starting a family
  • Divorce
  • Bereavement
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Transitions 2

Physiological:

  • Puberty 
  • Having a baby 
  • Illness
  • Injury

Intellectual:

  • University 
  • Promotion 
  • College/sixth form
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Predictable vs Unpredictable Life Events

Predictable 

  • Likely to happen to most people e.g. starting school or work..
  • Can be anticipated and prepared for.
  • Often positive.
  • Can build self-esteem, develop confidence, and provide security or further learning.
  • Can still cause anxiety, affect health and wellbeing.

Unpredictable

  • Not expected, such as accident or illness
  • Can happen with little to no warning
  • May happen to some but not necessarily everyone.
  • Marriage, promotion, having children or serious illness.
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The Effects of Life Events

  • Life events can cause stress that results in health problems. The level of stress depends on the event, the situation of the individual and their ability to cope with the demands of life. 

The ways that life events can impact on health and wellbeing:

  • Tiredness/insomnia
  • Issues with eating- issues with digestive system
  • Mood swings
  • Hair falling out (alopesha)
  • Mental health 
  • Acne/breakouts
  • Aches
  • Fevers/colds
  • Heart problems
  • High/low blood pressure
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Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS

  • Holmes and Rahe believed that there was a correlation between psychological illness and stressful events. 

The Study:

  • They listed 43 life events that individuals may experience.
  • They applied a score (unit) to each life event, depending on the level of stress it was likely to cause. 
  • Patients were asked to indicate the life events that they had experienced from the list. 
  • Patients added up the scores from their life events.

The result:

  • Their was a correlation between the number of units and their illness
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