View source for Social adjustment rating scale

As requested, the "social adjustment rating scale" is also known as the '''Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)'''. It is more popularly called the '''Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale'''.

Developed by psychiatrists Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe in 1967, the SRRS is a tool used to identify and quantify the impact of stressful life events. The underlying principle of the scale is that significant life changes, both positive and negative, require a person to adapt, and this process of "readjustment" is a source of stress. The scale is designed to measure the cumulative stress a person has experienced over a recent period, typically the past year, and to correlate this stress level with the risk of future illness.

== How the Scale Works ==
The SRRS consists of a list of 43 life events. Holmes and Rahe assigned a score to each event, called a "Life Change Unit" (LCU), based on the perceived degree of social readjustment required. The event of "marriage" was used as an arbitrary baseline with a score of 50. The most stressful event, "death of a spouse," has the highest score of 100 LCU.

To use the scale, an individual checks off all the life events they have experienced within the last year. The LCU scores for each selected event are then totaled.

== Scoring and Interpretation ==
The total LCU score is used to estimate a person's risk of experiencing a major health breakdown in the near future:

* '''Score of 300 or more:''' High risk of illness (approximately an 80% chance of a major health issue in the following two years).
* '''Score of 150 to 299:''' Moderate risk of illness (approximately a 50% chance).
* '''Score below 150:''' Low risk of illness (approximately a 30% chance).

== The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale) ==
Below is the list of the 43 life events and their corresponding Life Change Unit (LCU) scores:
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Rank'''
|'''Life Event'''
|'''Life Change Units (LCU)'''
|-
|1
|Death of a spouse
|100
|-
|2
|Divorce
|73
|-
|3
|Marital separation
|65
|-
|4
|Imprisonment
|63
|-
|5
|Death of a close family member
|63
|-
|6
|Personal injury or illness
|53
|-
|7
|Marriage
|50
|-
|8
|Dismissal from work
|47
|-
|9
|Marital reconciliation
|45
|-
|10
|Retirement<sup>1</sup>
|45
|-
|11
|Change in health of a family member
|44
|-
|12
|Pregnancy
|40
|-
|13
|Sexual difficulties
|39
|-
|14
|Gain of a new family member
|39
|-
|15
|Business readjustment
|39
|-
|16
|Change in financial state
|38
|-
|17
|Death of a close friend
|37
|-
|18
|Change to a different line of work
|36
|-
|19
|Change in frequency of arguments
|35
|-
|20
|Major mortgage
|32
|-
|21
|Foreclosure of mortgage or loan
|30
|-
|22
|Change in responsibilities at work
|29
|-
|23
|Child leaving home
|29
|-
|24
|Trouble with in-laws
|29
|-
|25
|Outstanding personal achievement
|28
|-
|26
|Spouse starts or stops work
|26
|-
|27
|Beginning or end of school
|26
|-
|28
|Change in living conditions
|25
|-
|29
|Revision of personal habits
|24
|-
|30
|Trouble with boss
|23
|-
|31
|Change in working hours or conditions
|20
|-
|32
|Change in residence
|20
|-
|33
|Change in schools
|20
|-
|34
|Change in recreation
|19
|-
|35
|Change in church activities
|19
|-
|36
|Change in social activities
|18
|-
|37
|Minor mortgage or loan
|17
|-
|38
|Change in sleeping habits
|16
|-
|39
|Change in number of family reunions
|15
|-
|40
|Change in eating habits
|15
|-
|41
|Vacation
|13
|-
|42
|Major holiday
|12
|-
|43
|Minor violation of the law
|11
|}
It is important to note that while the SRRS has been an influential tool in stress research, it has also been criticized for not accounting for individual differences in coping abilities and perceptions of stress. More recent versions and alternative scales have been developed to address some of these limitations.
[[Category:Medical Terms]]