Measures of stress — practice questions

(a) Measure types:

• PSS — subjective self-report measure.
• Salivary cortisol — objective physiological measure.

(b) Strengths and limitations:

PSS (self-report):

• Strength: Captures individual perception — two nurses with identical workloads may experience different stress levels.
• Limitation: Social desirability — nurses may underreport stress to appear competent.

Salivary cortisol:

• Strength: Objective — cannot be faked; directly measures HPA axis activation linked to chronic stress and health outcomes.
• Limitation: Circadian variation — cortisol peaks at waking (8am sample is standardised but still varies); acute stressors (traffic on way to work) spike levels temporarily.

(c) Evaluation — physiological vs self-report validity:

• Case for physiological superiority: Objective, quantifiable, linked to health outcomes (Kiecolt-Glaser — cortisol suppresses immune function). Avoids bias.
• Case against:
  • Low correlation between self-report and cortisol (r ≈ 0.1–0.3) — they measure different constructs: perceived stress vs biological activation.
  • Lazarus & Folkman — stress is fundamentally about appraisal, which only self-report captures.
  • Physiological measures miss cognitive/emotional component — a person may show normal cortisol but feel overwhelmed.
  • Ethical issues in lab — inducing stress to measure GSR/cortisol (e.g. stroop, public speaking) requires debriefing.
  • Individual differences — cortisol reactivity varies genetically; baseline differences confound group comparisons.

Judgement: Neither is inherently more valid — multi-method assessment (PSS + cortisol + daily hassles diary) provides most complete picture, consistent with biopsychosocial approach.

This question requires calculating a total score from the SRRS and interpreting it based on Holmes and Rahe's research on the link between life changes and illness.

Step 1: Identify the relevant life events and their LCU scores. From the list provided and the scenario:

• Parents got divorced: 73 LCUs
• Major change in financial state: 38 LCUs
• Started a new school year (Beginning or ending school): 26 LCUs

Step 2: Set up the calculation. Total LCU Score = (Score for Divorce) + (Score for Change in financial state) + (Score for Beginning school)

Step 3: Calculate the total LCU score. Total LCU Score = 73 + 38 + 26 Total LCU Score = 137 LCUs

Step 4: Interpret the score based on risk categories. Holmes and Rahe proposed the following risk categories based on total LCU scores over a 12-month period:

• < 150 LCUs: Low susceptibility to stress-induced health breakdown (around a 30% chance).
• 150-299 LCUs: Medium susceptibility (around a 50% chance).
• > 300 LCUs: High susceptibility (around an 80% chance).

Alex's score of 137 LCUs falls into the low susceptibility category. While this suggests a lower statistical risk of illness compared to someone with a higher score, it's important to remember that the SRRS does not account for individual perception, coping mechanisms, or the chronic stress of daily hassles. The score is an indicator, not a diagnosis.