INT’L. J. PSYCHIATRY IN MEDICINE, Vol. 9(3 zyxwvu 81 4). 1978-79 zyxw THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESPONSE QUALITIES OF LIFE CHANGE EVENTS AND FUTURE ILLNESS RATES DAVID V. SHEEHAN, M.B., B.CH., B.A.O. JAMES O‘DONNELL, M.ED. ANNE FITZGERALD, M.ED. LINDA HERVIG, M.S. HAROLD WARD, M.D. zyxwvu Department of Psychiatry and School of Nursing Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School ABSTRACT zyxwv A prospective study over three months explored whether measures of response “qualities” of life change events zyxwv (ag., whether the event was positive or negative in its subjective impact) enhance the ability of a simple counting of recent life change events to predict near future illness rates. Thirty-four nursing students were studied. Results confirm previous reports that future illness rates increase positively and significantly in direct relationship to the accumulation of recent past life change events. A simple count of the number of untimely or unexpected life stresses (31% of total life changes) or a simple count of the number of negative life events (53.8%) were as potent predictors as the total count of recent life changes. The total number of times each event occurred did not add to the predictive power of a count of the number of events experienced. Anticipated life events were poor predictors of future illness rates. The subjective life change unit scaling system (SLCU) did not add to the predictive power of a simple count of the number of events. Social support availability did not significantly lower illness rates. INTRODUCTION Several investigators in the past twenty years have reported that the risk of illness increases significantly in direct proportion to the accumulation of recent life change events zyxwvu [ 1-71. Conversely during periods of stable psychosocial adjustment when few life change events are experienced, little or no illness is 21 7 zyxwv 0 1979, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc. doi: 10.2190/JLHC-TRD4-568W-NQT9 http://baywood.com