Life Events and Stress

Life events are defined as discrete experiences that disrupt an individual's usual activities, causing a substantial change and readjustment. Examples of life events include marriage, divorce, illness or injury, and changing or losing a job. In the literature on stress, life events have been traditionally considered as one type of stressor, along with chronic strains (ongoing stressful circumstances such as living with disability or poverty). Since the pioneering work of Tom Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967, an enormous body of literature has developed on the topic of life events and illness.