<<<back to Social Readjustment Ratings Scale
The Social Readjustment Ratings Scale (SRRS) is a self-report questionnaire designed to quantify a person’s levels of stress associated with life changes.
Items on the SRRS
The SRRS includes 43 life events, ranked from most stressful to least stressful. The more stressful an event, the more Life Change Units (LCUs) associated with it. The more LCUs a person has within a time period, the greater their risk of stress-related illness.
| Event | Rank | LCUs |
| Death of a spouse | 1 | 100 |
| Divorce | 2 | 73 |
| Marital separation | 3 | 65 |
| Imprisonment | 4 | 63 |
| Death of a close family member | 5 | 63 |
| Personal injury or illness | 6 | 53 |
| Marriage | 7 | 50 |
| Dismissal from work | 8 | 47 |
| Marital reconciliation | 9 | 45 |
| Retirement | 10 | 45 |
| Change in health of family member | 11 | 44 |
| Pregnancy | 12 | 40 |
| Sexual difficulties | 13 | 39 |
| Gain a new family member | 14 | 39 |
| Business readjustment | 15 | 39 |
| Change in financial state | 16 | 38 |
| Death of a close friend | 17 | 37 |
| Change to different line of work | 18 | 36 |
| Change in frequency of arguments | 19 | 35 |
| Major mortgage | 20 | 32 |
| Foreclosure of mortgage or loan | 21 | 30 |
| Change in responsibilities at work | 22 | 29 |
| Child leaving home | 23 | 29 |
| Trouble with in-laws | 24 | 29 |
| Outstanding personal achievement | 25 | 28 |
| Spouse starts or stops work | 26 | 26 |
| Beginning or end of school | 27 | 26 |
| Change in living conditions | 28 | 25 |
| Revision of personal habits | 29 | 24 |
| Trouble with boss | 30 | 23 |
| Change in working hours or conditions | 31 | 20 |
| Change in residence | 32 | 20 |
| Change in schools | 33 | 20 |
| Change in recreation | 34 | 19 |
| Change in church activities | 35 | 19 |
| Change in social activities | 36 | 18 |
| Minor mortgage or loan | 37 | 17 |
| Change in sleeping habits | 38 | 16 |
| Change in number of family reunions | 39 | 15 |
| Change in eating habits | 40 | 15 |
| Vacation | 41 | 13 |
| Major Holiday | 42 | 12 |
| Minor violation of law | 43 | 11 |
The greater the total number of LCUs a person scores, the greater their chance of stress-related illness:
- >300 LCUs: High risk of illness
- 150-299 LCUs: Moderate risk of illness
- <150 LCUs: Minor risk of illness