Personal assessments of life-event stress and the near future onset of psychological symptoms.

This report presents data on prospective associations of life-event measures with psychological symptoms. Two issues in particular are addressed, the one relating to the causal influence of life-events on symptom onset, and the other to the role of personal interpretations of life-event impact in this association. The latter issue derives from a consideration of the cognitive view of stress. Prospective associations did, indeed, emerge and were strongest where the individual was permitted to personally assess the impact of encountered life-events. Temporal patterns of association varied with the kinds of symptoms (anxiety of depression) used as the dependent variable.