Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T07:28:18.090Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Life Events and Illness: A Three Year Prospective Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Arthur P. Schless ,
Alicia Teichman ,
J. Mendels ,
Norman W. Weinstein  and
Kenneth Weller
Arthur P. Schless
Affiliation:
From the Affective Diseases Research Unit, Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Alicia Teichman
Affiliation:
From the Affective Diseases Research Unit, Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
J. Mendels*
Affiliation:
From the Affective Diseases Research Unit, Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Norman W. Weinstein
Affiliation:
From the Affective Diseases Research Unit, Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Kenneth Weller
Affiliation:
From the Affective Diseases Research Unit, Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to J. Mendels, M.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, V.A. Hospital (151E), University and Woodland Avenues, Philadelphia PA 19104.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

In an investigation of the relation between life events (stressors) and illness, 87 medical students reported on a prospective basis their health and life events history over a three year period. There were a few positive findings, e.g. that subjects who reported more life events during the period also reported more illnesses during that period. Overall, however, the study showed a lack of statistically significant association between life events and illness.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 131 , Issue 1 , July 1977 , pp. 26 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1977 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

∗

Dr Weinstein is currently with the San Mateo County Department of Public Health and Welfare, Daly City, California. Dr Weller is currently with the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia.

References

Fisher, H. K., Dlin, B., Winters, W., Hagner, S. & Weiss, E. (1962) Time parameters and emotional factors related to the onset of coronary occlusion. (Abstract). Psychosomatic Medicine, 24, 516.Google Scholar
Graham, D. T. & Stevenson, I. (1963) Disease as response to life stress. In The Psychological Basis of Medical Practice (eds Lief, H. I., Lief, V. F. and Lief, N. R.). New York: Harper and Row.Google Scholar
Grant, I., Kyle, G. C., Teichman, A. & Mendels, J. (1974) Recent life events and diabetes in adults. Psychosomatic Medicine, 36, 121–8.Google Scholar
Greene, W. A., Jr, Young, L. E. & Swisher, S. N. (1956) Psychological factors and reticulo-endothelial disease. II. Observations on a group of women with lymphomas and leukemias. Psychosomatic Medicine, 18, 284–303.Google Scholar
Hawkins, N. G., Davies, R. & Holmes, T. H. (1957) Evidence of psychosocial factors in the development of preliminary tuberculosis. American Review of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, 75, 768–80.Google Scholar
Hinkle, L. E. Jr, Christenson, W. N., Kane, F. D., Ostfels, A., Thetford, W. N. & Wolf, H. G. (1958) An investigation of the relation between life experience, personality characteristics, and general susceptibility to illness. Psychosomatic Medicine, 20, 278–95.Google Scholar
Holmes, T. H., Goodell, H., Wolf, S. & Wolff, H. G. (1950) The Nose. An Experimental Study of Reactions Within the Nose in Human Subjects During Varying Life Experiences. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.Google Scholar
Holmes, T. H. & Rahe, R. H. (1967) The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213–18.Google Scholar
Holmes, T. S. & Holmes, T. H. (March 1969) Long-range predictions of health change. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society.Google Scholar
Holmes, T. S. & Holmes, T. H. (1970) Short-term intrusions into the life style routine. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 14, 121–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobs, M. A., Spoken, A. Z., Norman, M. M. & Anderson, L. S. (1971) Patterns of maladaptation and respiratory illness. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 15, 63–72.Google Scholar
Kissen, D. M. (1958) Some psychosocial aspects of pulmonary tuberculosis. International journal of Social Psychiatry, 3, 252–9.Google Scholar
Kjaer, G. (1959) Some psychosomatic aspects of pregnancy with particular reference to nausea and vomiting. Medical Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle.Google Scholar
Rahe, R. H. (1969) Life crisis and health change. In Psychotropic Drug Response: Advances in Prediction, 1969 (eds May, P. R. A. and Wittenborn, J. R.). Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.Google Scholar
Rahe, R. H. & Holmes, T. H. (1965) Social, psychologic and psychophysiologic aspects of inguinal hernia. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 8, 487–91.Google Scholar
Rahe, R. H. & Christ, A. E. (1966) An unusual cardiac (ventricular) arrhythmia in a child: psychiatric and psychophysiologic aspects. Psychosomatic Medicine, 28, 181–8.Google Scholar
Rahe, R. H., McKean, J. D. & Arthur, R. J. (1967) A longitudinal study of life change and illness patterns. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 10, 355–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rahe, R. H. & Arthur, R. J. (1968) Life change patterns surrounding illness experience. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 341–5.Google Scholar
Rahe, R. H., Mahan, J. L., Arthur, R.J. & Gunderson, E. K. E. (1970) The epidemiology of illness in naval environments. I. Illness types, distribution, severities, and relationship to life change. Military Medicine, 135, 443–52.Google ScholarPubMed
Schmale, A. H. & Engel, G. L. (1967) The giving up-given up complex illustrated on film. Archives of General Psychiatry, 17, 135–45.Google Scholar
Smith, M. (1962) Psychogenic factors in skin disease. Medical Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle.Google Scholar
Spilken, A. Z. & Jacobs, M. A. (1971) Prediction of illness behavior from measures of life crisis, manifest distress and maladaptive coping. Psychosomatic Medicine, 33, 251–64.Google Scholar
Weiss, E., Dlin, B., Rollin, H. R., Fischer, H. K. & Bepler, C. R. (1957) Emotional factors in coronary occlusion. I. Introduction and general summary. American Medical Association Archives of Internal Medicine, 99, 628–41.Google Scholar
Wershow, H. J. & Reinhart, G. (1974) Life change and hospitalization—a heretical view. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 18, 393–401.Google Scholar
Wolf, S., Cardon, P. V., Shepard, E. M. & Wolff, H. G. (1955) Life Stress and Essential Hypertension. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.