The Global Assessment of Recent Stress (GARS) Scale was developed to assess current stress perception. Most measurements of environment are derived from life event scales that capture amount of stress or change associated with stressful events that have occurred over the past six to twenty-four months. A scale that provides a more immediate estimate of stress is needed when physiological tests and perceived stress are studied together. The GARS has been subjected to a series of studies concerning its reliability, validity, and factor structure. Results suggest that it may be a useful instrument for helping individuals assess their current feelings of stress.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
HolmesT. H. and RaheR. H., The Social Readjustment Rating Scale, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, pp. 213–218, 1967.
2.
RabkinJ. G. and StrueningE. L., Life Events, Stress, and Illness, Science, 194, pp. 1013–1020, 1976.
3.
MonroeS. M., Life Events Assessment: Current Practices, Emerging Trends, Clinical Psychology Review, 2, pp. 435–453, 1982.
4.
PaykelE. S., Methodological Aspects of Life Events Research, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 27, pp. 341–352, 1983.
5.
DohrenwendB. S. and DohrenwendB. P., The Conceptualization and Measurement of Stressful Life Events: An Overview of the Issues, in The Psychobiology of the Depressive Disorders: Implications for the Effects of Stress, DepueR. A. (ed.), Academic Press, New York, 1981.
6.
HudgensR. W., Personal Catastrophe and Depression: A Consideration of the Subject with Respect to Medically Ill Adolescents, and a Requiem for Retrospective Life-Event Studies, in Stressful Life Events: Their Nature and Effects, DohrenwendB. S. and DohrenwendB. P. (eds.), Wiley, New York, 1974.
7.
BrownG. W. and HarrisT., Social Origins of Depression, The Free Press, New York, 1978.
8.
JenkinsC. D.HurstM. W., and RoseR. M., Life Changes. Do People Really Remember?, Archives of General Psychiatry, 36, pp. 379–384, 1979.
9.
PaykelE. S.PrusoffB. A., and UhlenhuthE. H., Scaling of Life Events, Archives of General Psychiatry, 25, pp. 340–347, 1971.
10.
UhlenhuthE. H.HabermanS. J.BaiterM. D., and LipmanR. S., Remembering Life Events, in The Origins and Course of Psychopathology: Methods of Longitudinal Research, StraussJ. S.BabigianJ. M. and RoffM. (eds.), Plenum Press, New York, 1977.
11.
MonroeS. M., The Assessment of Life Events: Retrospective Versus Concurrent Strategies, Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, pp. 606–610, 1982.
12.
GleserG. C.GreenB. L., and WingetC., Prolonged Psychosocial Effects of Disaster: A Study of Buffalo Creek, Academic Press, New York, 1981.
13.
YagerJ.GrantI.SweetwoodH. L., and GerstM., Life Event Reports by Psychiatric Patients, Nonpatients, and Their Partners, Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, pp. 343–347, 1981.
14.
PearlinL. T.LiebermanM. A.MenaghanE. G., and MullanJ. T., The Stress Process, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, pp. 337–356, 1981.
15.
LinnM. W. and SandiferR., Effects of Unemployment on Mental and Physical Health, American Journal of Public Health, (in press).
16.
HurstM. W., Life Changes and Psychiatric Symptom Development: Issues of Content, Scoring, and Clustering, in Stress and Mental Disorder, BarrettJ. E. (ed.), Raven Press, New York, 1979.
17.
McFarlaneA. H.NormanG. R.StreinerD. L.RoyR., and ScottD. J., A Longitudinal Study of the Influence of the Psychosocial Environment on Health Status: A Preliminary Report, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, pp. 124–133, 1980.
18.
RaheR. H., Life Change Measurement Clarification, Psychosomatic Medicine, 40, pp. 95–98, 1978.
19.
BrownG., Meaning, Measurement, and Stress of Life Events, in Stressful Life Events: Their Nature and Effects, DohrenwendB. S. and DohrenwendB. P. (eds.), Wiley, New York, 1974.
20.
ClearyP. J., Problems of Internal Consistency and Scaling in Life Events Schedules, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 25, pp. 309–320, 1981.
21.
KaiserH. F., The Varimax Criterion for Analytic Rotation in Factor Analysis, Psychometrika, 23, pp. 187–200, 1958.
22.
DerogatisL. R.LipmanR. S.RichelsK.UhlenhuthE. H., and CoviL., The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist: A Self-Report Inventory, Behavioral Science, 19, pp. 1–15, 1974.
23.
SroleL., Social Integration and Certain Corollaries: An Exploratory Study, American Sociological Review, 21, pp. 209–216, 1956.
24.
NeugartenB.HavighurstR. J., and TobinS.S., The Measurement of Life Satisfaction, Journal of Gerontology, 16, pp. 134–143, 1961.
25.
RosenbergM., Self-Esteem and Concern with Public Affairs, Public Opinion Quarterly, 26, pp. 201–211, 1962.
26.
NestelP. J., Blood Pressure and Catecholamine Excretion after Mental Stress in Labile Hypertension, Lancet, 1, pp. 692–694, 1969.
27.
HinesE. A.Jr. and BrownG. E., A Standard Stimulus for Measuring Vasomotor Reactions: Its Application in the Study of Hypertension, Proceedings of Staff Meetings of the Mayo Clinic, 7, pp. 332–335, 1982.
28.
PalmbladJ.CantellK., and StranderH., Stressor Exposure and Immunological Response in Man: Interferon-Producing Capacity and Phagocytosis, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 20, pp. 193–194, 1976.
29.
SteinM.SchiaviR. C., and CamerinoM., Influence of Brain and Behavior on the Immune System, Science, 191, pp. 435–440, 1976.
30.
LinnB. S.LinnM. W., and JensenJ., Anxiety and Immune Responsiveness, Psychological Reports, 49, pp. 969–970, 1981.
31.
LinnM. W.LinnB. S., and SkylerS., Stress and Immune Function in Diabetes Mellitus, Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology, 27, pp. 223–233, 1983.
32.
BachF. H. and HirschhornK., Lymphocyte Interaction: A Potential Histocompatibility Test in Vitro, Science, 143, pp. 813–814, 1964.
33.
MaderazoE. G. and WoronickC., A Modified Micropore Filter Assay of Human Granulocyte Leukotaxis, in Leukocyte Chemotaxis, GallinJ. E. and QuieP. G. (eds.), Raven Press, New York, 1978.
