Rahe, Mahan and Arthur Flashcards
Name of research
Prediction of near-future health-change from subjects’ preceding life changes
Date of research
1970
Aims
- To limit the methological flaws in their research and so use a prospective test
- To investigate if their is a relationship between the pre-deployment life events score (SRE) in Naval personnel and the number of illnesses during deployment
Context (names + dates only)
- Selye (1930s)
- Hawkins et al (1957)
- Holmes + Rahe (1967)
Selye 1930s (context)
- suggested casual link between stress + physical illness
- whatever stressor rats = exposed to led to the same response
- leading to eventual exhaustion of the immune system
Hawkins et al. 1957 (context)
- TB patients + sanaatorium workers
- matched for age, sex, race and income
- TB patients had more ‘disturbing occurrences’ in the 2 years prior to admission than the others
Holmes and Rahe SRE 1967
- past = retrospective research
- patients = already ill
- info recall can result in memory distortion + perception of illness = subjective
- needed to study before illness happened
- SRE = filled in + evaluated stress in life events before became ill
Sample (procedures)
Opportunity sample
Mean age (procedures)
22.3
Number of ppts (procedures)
2664
Gender of ppts (procedures)
Male
Profession of ppts (procedures)
Naval + marine personnel
Variety (procedures)
In rank, education + experience
% lost (procedures)
10% lost due to transfer
Where = study (procedures)
Aboard 3 Us navy cruisers
- 2 = Vietnam
- 1 = Mediterranean
Technique (procedures)
Double-blind
At beginning of each mission… (procedures)
…all ppts completed SRE
As each ship returned… (procedures)
…a research physician reviewed the health records
- used to calculate the SRE
2 benefits of procedures
- All men exposed to the same conditions at sea
- Researchers had acces to detailed medical records
Relationship between pre-cruise TLCUs + cruise period illness? (Findings)
No significant relationship
Correlation between LCU totals for 6 months prior to deployment + illness (Findings)
+ 0.118 (significant)
Sailors in decile 1 + 2 = (Findings)
Low illness group
Sailors in decile 9 + 10 = (Findings)
High illness group
Significant difference between decile… (Findings)
1 + 2
Decile 1 = (Findings)
10% of ship’s crew w/ lowest TLCU scroes
Decile 1 = mean illness number = (Findings)
1.434
Decile 10 = mean illness number = (Findings)
2.049
Married men = (Findings)
More likely to get ill than single young sailors
Conclusions (x3)
- Results support linear relationship between ppt’s TLCUs + illness rate
- Th illneses were generally minor + pre-deployment life changes were often few + of low significance so positive relationship = even more impressive
- Cruiser 2 = worst cruise + least rel. between TLCU and illness suggesting environmental factors can increase illness + overwhelm the effect of life events on illness
Alternative Evidence (names + dates only)
- Selye (1930s)
- Hawkins et al. (1957)
- De Longis et al (1988)
Selye (Alt Ev.)
SUPPORTS
- proves stress causes illness
- LIMITED: extrapolation
Hawkins et al. (Alt Ev.)
SUPPORTS
- proves life events effect health
- people w/ disturbing life occurrences –> TB
- DIFFER: Rahe = over 6 months Hawkins = over 2 years
De Longis et al. (Alt Ev.)
-Studied stress in 75 married couples
-Life events questionnaire + hassle + uplifts scale
-Found no rel. between life events + health
=Pos. correlation w/ hassles + next day health problems
GOES AGAINST:
- not major life events
- Rahe = 6 months De Longis = long term
-Married couples and sailors = v. different groups
