Brief Description

This questionnaire aims to document unpleasant events experienced by older adults. It includes a series of potentially stressful events such as the death of loved ones, serious illnesses, financial difficulties, changes in daily life, and loss of independence. The goal is to capture the frequency and psychological impact of these events.

Purpose

The tool’s purpose is to systematically identify stressful situations in the lives of older adults, with the aim of understanding their relationship with indicators of mental and physical health. The tool helps assess the impact of stress on aging and facilitates the design of appropriate interventions.

Scoring Method

For each event, participants indicate whether they have experienced it, how intensely it affected them (on a scale from 0 to 5), and when it occurred. The total burden is calculated either by counting the number of events or by summing the intensity scores for each event experienced.

Validity

The questionnaire demonstrates strong construct and convergent validity, as it positively correlates with tools that measure psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. Its structure has been supported through statistical methods such as factor analysis.

Reliability

Test-retest reliability is high, with correlation coefficients r > 0.78 for measurements repeated over a short period. The internal consistency of the tool, as measured by Cronbach’s alpha, ranges from 0.80 to 0.88.

Data Analysis and Usage

Data are analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and correlations, as well as multiple regression analysis to predict levels of mental health. Responses can be grouped into thematic categories (e.g., health, family, finances) and used to identify high-risk groups. The tool is also useful in prevention programs and in the evaluation of social services.

Key References

Williamson, G. M., & Schulz, R. (1992). Unpleasant events, goals, and daily stressors in the daily lives of older adults. Psychology and Aging, 7(4), 553–563.
Aldwin, C. M. (1990). The elder’s life stress inventory: Development and validation. Journal of Gerontology, 45(2), P95–P104.
Krause, N. (1995). Negative interaction and satisfaction with social support among older adults. The Journals of Gerontology, 50(2), P59–P73.