Daily Hassles and Uplifts
Daily hassles are relatively minor events arising out of day-to-day living such as losing your house keys and missing the college bus.
Uplifts are positive everyday events
Uplifts are positive everyday events
A01: Describe how daily hassles and uplifts are used as a measure of stress (6 marks)
- The Daily Hassles and Uplifts Scale was devised by Lazarus et al (1981).
- It is a Questionnaire that contains 117 items.
- Each item is a daily event.
- Participants are asked to complete the questionnaire individually at the end of their day.
- The items are rated as an uplift and a daily hassle on a scale of 0-3 (0= not applicable, 1= Somewhat, 2= Quite a bit, 3 = a great deal).
- The total daily hassles score and uplifts score are used as an indicator of stress.
A02: Evaluation of the daily hassles and uplifts scale
Small Elephants Eat cheese Individually
Self-report
Ethnocentric
Ethical issue
Correlational
Individual Differences
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A01 Key Study:
Delongis et al (1982) tested the hypothesis that daily hassles are a better predictor of later ill health than life events. 100 participants (all over 45) were asked to complete four questionnaires each:
1) Hassles scale (117 items)
2) Uplifts scale (135 items)
3) Life events questionnaire
4) Health questionnaire
The results were probably not expected: hassles were significantly positively correlated with ill- health, whereas uplifts and most surprisingly life events were not.
Delongis et al (1982) tested the hypothesis that daily hassles are a better predictor of later ill health than life events. 100 participants (all over 45) were asked to complete four questionnaires each:
1) Hassles scale (117 items)
2) Uplifts scale (135 items)
3) Life events questionnaire
4) Health questionnaire
The results were probably not expected: hassles were significantly positively correlated with ill- health, whereas uplifts and most surprisingly life events were not.
A01 Key study: Kanner et al
•Aim: To investigate an association between daily hassles, uplifts and symptoms of stress AND compare the outcome with the use of the SRRS as a predictor of stress symptoms
•Procedure: 100 men and women, aged 45-64 were studied. They completed the “Hassles & Uplifts” questionnaire once a month, for 10 months. They were also assessed each month using the SRRS, and completed a health questionnaire
•Findings: Daily Hassles were positively correlated with psychological symptoms associated with stress. There was a negative correlation between uplifts and stress symptoms. The Daily Hassles predictor of stress symptoms than the SRRS
•Conclusions: Everyday stressors are a better predictor of stress, and vulnerability to illness, than life events
•Procedure: 100 men and women, aged 45-64 were studied. They completed the “Hassles & Uplifts” questionnaire once a month, for 10 months. They were also assessed each month using the SRRS, and completed a health questionnaire
•Findings: Daily Hassles were positively correlated with psychological symptoms associated with stress. There was a negative correlation between uplifts and stress symptoms. The Daily Hassles predictor of stress symptoms than the SRRS
•Conclusions: Everyday stressors are a better predictor of stress, and vulnerability to illness, than life events
Supporting study Courtois at al (2007)
•In support of the research conducted by Kanner et al. (1981), Courtois et al (2007) investigated the influence of both life events and daily hassles on adolescent drinking and smoking. They did find a correlation between these problems and life events, BUT the relationship with daily hassles was stronger.
•Important daily hassles related to family problems, issues at school and self-perception. Having more daily hassles affected drug use in two ways: stressed adolescents started using alcohol and tobacco earlier (1) and became dependent on them (2)
•Important daily hassles related to family problems, issues at school and self-perception. Having more daily hassles affected drug use in two ways: stressed adolescents started using alcohol and tobacco earlier (1) and became dependent on them (2)
A02: Evaluation of daily hassles and life events research
Correlational
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Cultural variations in amount of social supportSocial support is a protective factor against stress and it varies amongst different cultures.
Therefore there are cross-cultural differences in the statement that daily hassles contribute to health and social problems. |
Retrospective data
Furthermore, research into daily hassles and stress related illness is based upon the collection of retrospective data, whereby participants are usually asked to rate hassles that have occurred over the last month.
This relies upon peoples’ memories being a) accurate and b) consistent and we know that memory is, over time, neither of those things.
This is a problem because it means that the data collected from participants is neither valid (since the recall of events is not accurate), nor reliable (as the recall of events is not consistent), thus challenging how useful such research is.
Furthermore, research into daily hassles and stress related illness is based upon the collection of retrospective data, whereby participants are usually asked to rate hassles that have occurred over the last month.
This relies upon peoples’ memories being a) accurate and b) consistent and we know that memory is, over time, neither of those things.
This is a problem because it means that the data collected from participants is neither valid (since the recall of events is not accurate), nor reliable (as the recall of events is not consistent), thus challenging how useful such research is.
Supporting research
Despite such criticism, a further strength of research into daily hassles and uplifts is that it is now largely accepted that they are a better predictor of later health/ill health than life events and this is supported by research.
For example, Flett et al (1995) found that major life-changing events may differ from daily hassles in the extent to which a person would seek social support. 320 students read a scenario describing an individual who had experienced either a life event or daily hassle. They then rated the support of support that person would receive and would seek from others. Those who had experienced a life event were rated as needing and receiving more social support.
This presumably means that one reason why daily hassles are such a negative influence on later health is that we don’t receive adequate social support to deal with them.
Despite such criticism, a further strength of research into daily hassles and uplifts is that it is now largely accepted that they are a better predictor of later health/ill health than life events and this is supported by research.
For example, Flett et al (1995) found that major life-changing events may differ from daily hassles in the extent to which a person would seek social support. 320 students read a scenario describing an individual who had experienced either a life event or daily hassle. They then rated the support of support that person would receive and would seek from others. Those who had experienced a life event were rated as needing and receiving more social support.
This presumably means that one reason why daily hassles are such a negative influence on later health is that we don’t receive adequate social support to deal with them.