Daily Hassles

Question 1

Define ‘Daily Hassles’

Answer 1

Minor events that arise throughout the course of the day which cause stress

Question 2

Define ‘Daily Uplifts’

Answer 2

Small positive experience that counteracts stress

Question 3

Who devised the daily Hassles and Uplifts Scale and when?

Answer 3

Kanner et al (1981)

Question 4

What is the daily Hassles and Uplifts Scale

Answer 4

• It is a questionnaire and each item is a daily event
• Firstly the hassles scale was devised which has 117 items. It measures stress by working on the theory that the more daily Hassles you encounter in life, the more stressful it seems. Daily life is not always a struggle therefore they introduced the Uplifts scale with includes 135 items.
• Participants are asked to complete the questionnaire individually at the end of their day
• The items are rated as an uplift and a daily hassle on a scale of 0-3 (0= not applicable, 1= somewhat, 2= Quite a bit, 33= a great deal)
• The total daily hassles score and uplifts score are used as an indicator of stress

Question 5

What is the significance of daily hassles in relation to stress?

Answer 5

• Daily Hassles erode our coping resources

- Daily Hassles are amplified by existing chronic stressors

Question 6

Which two researchers conducted studies into Daily Hassles? (Nurses and Uni Students)

Answer 6

Gervais (2005)

Bouteyre et al (2007)

Question 7

Explain Gervais’s nurses study into daily hassles

Answer 7

Aim
Investigate how Daily Hassles and uplifts affected job performances for nurses

Procedure
Nurses were asked to keep diaries for one month, recording all daily hassles and uplifts

Findings
Daily hassles (i.e. lack of beds, other staff members who don’t pull their weight) increase job strain.
However, uplifts (i.e. compliments from patients, praise) increased job performance

Conclusion
Daily Hassles may decrease job performance whereas daily uplifts may counteract daily hassles, and may increase job performance

Question 8

Explain Bouteyres study into Daily Hassles and Students

Answer 8

Aim 
Investigate relationship between daily hassles and mental health of students during the transition between school and French University

Procedures
First-year psychology students completed The Hassles and Uplifts Scales (HSUS) and the Beck’s Depression Inventory to measure depression

Findings 
Found a positive correlation between students suffering from depression (41% of total) and scores of daily hassles

Conclusions 
Transition from school to university has frequent daily hassles, which are a risk factor for developing depression

Question 9

Evaluate the Daily hassles approach and Research

Answer 9

Cultural differences
 Kim and McKenry (1998) found that there are cultural differences in the extent of social support available to individuals from family, friends and religious groups.
Greater in African Americans and Asian Americans compared to Caucasians.
This was associated with lowered stresses in difficult situations such as caring for family members with Alzheimer’s.

Correlational vs. Causational
 As with SRRS there is a distinction between saying Daily Hassles predict illness and that they actually cause illness. There are many other factors that can influence mental and physical health.

Commentary
 Daily Hassles accumulate over the course of the day and therefore provide a more significant source of stress than life changes

Social desirability bias
 Self-report techniques such as Daily Hassles are open to bias – people may want to present themselves in a positive way rather than an accurate one. Validity and reliability of people’s memory of past events has been questioned

Question 10

What are the four evaluation points for daily hassles

Answer 10

Cultural differences

Correlational vs. Causational

Commentary 

Social desirability bias

Question 11

Explain Cohen’s 1993 key study into the effects of stress on the immune system

Answer 11

Method – Participants filled in a questionnaire on the:
1. Negative life events
2. How stressed they are
3. Degree of negative emotion felt
• Scores were combined to make stress index
• Participants were then exposed to low doses of the common cold virus (ethics!)
Results – 82% of 394 participants became infected with the cold virus and infection was highly correlated with their stress index score.
- the higher the score on stress index the more likely they were to become infected
Evaluation – It was correlational, however it strongly suggests that high levels of stress will reduce immune function and make a person more vulnerable to viral infection
- It ignores individual differences
- No specific causation, just correlational relationship