Questionnaire-Description

The RLEQ is a questionnaire designed to record significant life events that have occurred to an individual within a specific time frame (usually the last 6-12 months). These events can include a range of situations, both positive and negative, such as:

Changes in personal life (marriage, divorce).

Financial difficulties or professional changes (job loss, new job).

Illness or death of a loved one.

Moving or changing residence.

The RLEQ aims to capture the frequency and intensity of recent life events that may have an impact on an individual’s psychological health.

Data Analysis and Usage

Data from the RLEQ are collected through self-reporting by individuals responding to a list of recent life events. Each event can be rated based on the individual’s subjective perception of how stressful it was or whether it had a positive or negative impact on their life.

The main analyses performed with RLEQ data include:

Correlation analysis to explore the relationship between recent life events and psychological variables, such as depression, anxiety, or physical health.

Statistical analysis to determine the impact of specific events on mental well-being.

Multiple regression to predict psychological status based on the number, nature, and intensity of recent life events.

The data can be used in clinical and research studies to understand the role of stressful life events in mental health and the development of psychological disorders.

Purpose

The primary goal of the RLEQ is to assess the impact of recent life events on an individual’s mental health and well-being. Specifically, this tool is used to:

Identify and understand how specific life events contribute to the onset of psychological difficulties, such as stress, depression, or anxiety disorders.

Assist in evaluating the risk of developing mental disorders due to recent stressful events.

Serve as a diagnostic tool to enhance clinical assessment and the development of appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Calibration

The calibration of the RLEQ involves several stages:

Reliability analysis to examine the stability of responses to different life events, typically using the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha.

Confirmatory factor analysis to validate the dimensions of life events and the structure of the questionnaire.

Cross-validation in different populations to ensure the tool’s generalizability and validity across various groups of individuals.

Bibliography

Sarason, I. G., Johnson, J. H., & Siegel, J. M. (1978). Assessing the impact of life changes: Development of the Life Experiences Survey. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46(5), 932-946.

Paykel, E. S. (1997). The interview for recent life events. Psychological Medicine, 27(2), 301-310.

Dohrenwend, B. P. (2006). Inventorying stressful life events as risk factors for psychopathology: Toward resolution of the problem of intracategory variability. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 477-495.