Hassles as a cause of stress (self-report measures)

Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale recognises the importance of life events in causing stress, and it is well-documented that major life events such as getting married, moving house or starting a new job are stressors. 

However, the effects of daily hassles on stress are often ignored. Hassles are minor irritating inconveniences that occur on a daily basis, such as losing keys, getting stuck in traffic, or the water running cold halfway through your shower. Hassles are individual to each person, because we're not all bothered by the same things. 

Psychologists believe that if you are subject to an overwhelming number of hassles, and these are not balanced by uplifts (little things that cheer you up, like listening to your favourite song or finding money in your jeans' pocket), then you're more likely to feel stressed. And, the more hassles, the more stress you'll feel. 

One study which looked into whether hassles and uplifts or life events were better indicators of stress was Kanner et al. It was a longitudinal study whereby 100 Californians were asked to record (self-report) their daily hassles and uplifts for nine months. At the end of ten months, they were asked to complete the Holmes and Rahe SRRS to measure their life events. 

Psychological stress response was measured by the Bradburn Morale Scale and the Hopkins' Symptom Checklist.

The findings suggested that hassles and uplifts more significantly correlated with stress response and thus were a better predictor of stress. Other findings included that for women, both hassles and uplifts correlated positively with life events, but for men, hassles correlated positively with life events whereas uplifts correlated negatively with life events.