Dr. Richard Rahe: Products for Stress Management

Learn More about A Recent Life Changes Stress Test (RLCST)

This is the "classic" stress test! Drs. Holmes and Rahe first introduced scaled values for life change events in the late 1960s. These results have been used in several hundred of studies of life change and illness onset since that time. Applications of this test continue to be helpful today. For example, it was recently reported that the best predictor of progression of AIDS in infected persons is the patient's number of recent life change events experienced over the previous year!

Dr. Rahe developed a Recent Life Changes Questionnaire (RLCQ)in 1975. He used this version of the original test in all his subsequent research studies. However, for educational purposes he shortened the RLCQ list of 78 life change events to 55 for his Recent Life Changes Stress Test - found on this site.

Remember, life change measurement is only one of several important stress measures - several of which are included in the Dr. Rahe's SCI and BSCI questionnaires.

Derived from Dr. Rahe's work with Thomas Holmes, M.D. in the 1960s, this test provides a look at a person's life change experiences over the past year. Completing this brief inventory, scored with recently revised life change units (LCU), a rough assessment of a person's near-future risk for an illness, or an accident, is obtained. A brief description of the risk category for the completer is presented along with the test's total LCU score.

This Introductory Edition of the Brief Stress and Coping Inventory (BSCI)was designed for individuals, and groups, wishing to take the test and quickly view their results in a pictorial summary rather than read a longer and more complete report generated for the Full BSCI. This pictorial format of results has proven very popular with teenagers.

Learn More about BSCI - Full Brief Stress and Coping Inventory

The BSCI requires 10-15 minutes to complete. Although designed for teaching, it has also been used recently for research with reliable and very interesting results.

Dr. Rahe created this shortened version of his well validated Stress and Coping Inventory (SCI) in 1999. The Brief Stress and Coping Inventory (BSCI) was designed for persons wishing a comprehensive look at major aspects of stress and coping in their current life. The BSCI is available on-line with results presented immediately on completion. These results can be viewed and printed out in text and numerical formats.

This Manual was written for clinicians wishing to learn more about the development of the BSCI before using it in their practice. It outlines the test's five stress and five coping measures, gives the rationale for their selection, presents the scoring keys and lists important scientific studies supportive of each measure.

Learn More about BSCI - Paths to Health and Resilience

This book was inspired from Dr. Rahe's many stress workshops, in which he had sufficient time to teach BSCI materials in detail. In one large study of effectiveness, persons attending his classes experienced 34% fewer, objectively verified, illnesses across the following year compared to two randomly selected control groups.

This self-help book incorporates the BSCI. Each of the BSCI's 5 stress indicators and 5 coping capabilities are presented in separate chapters, along with supporting text and occasional exercises. A summary chapter determines a person's balance between stress and coping, leading to a measure of their risk for near-future illness versus good health and resilience. The book can be downloaded in a compressed PDF format.

Learn More about Stress and Coping Inventory (SCI)

Four stress measures and four coping assessments comprise the Stress and Coping Inventory (SCI). Many research studies, including reports on its reliability and validity, have been published. (See Publications page.)

Allow 30-45 minutes to complete the test. The more careful and honest you are with your answers the greater will be the benefits you derive.

A Workbook for the SCI is also available. The workbook furthers one's understanding of their test results, provides additional educational information, and lists suggested reading. See SCI Workbook.

Dr. Rahe created this comprehensive examination of a person's recent life stresses and current coping capabilities in 1986. Thousands of persons have completed this inventory and found it to be extremely helpful. Detailed results are obtained immediately upon completion. These data-rich results can be printed out in HTML or PDF formats.

The SCI Workbook was developed to help educators teach stress management using the SCI. The workbook can be divided into separate presentations incorporating key wellness issues, suggested exercises, humorous cartoons, and a reading list. Dr. Rahe used the SCI, and the SCI Workbook, in his California Wellness Foundation study where participants were found to lower their doctor visits by 34% over the following year.

Learn More about The Life Chart

This test can also be helpful for individuals to better understand the timing of onset of illnesses and/or accidents. To illustrate this approach Dr. Rahe published a Life Chart for the famous artist Vincent van Gogh.

The Life Chart requires 45-90 minutes to complete. Taking a break during this time is highly recommended. How to take a break is printed in the Instructions for the Life Chart. A Life Chart Manual will be created to explain the significances of frequently seen Life Chart profiles.

The Life Chart was originally devised by Adolf Meyer, M.D. in the 1920s and revised by Dr. Rahe in 1970 for use in his U.S. Navy studies. The Life Chart documents major life events, illnesses, and two aspects of coping across a lifetime. This test is particularly useful for persons with a chronic illnesses. Test results help these persons understand periods of their lives where they were vulnerable to illness as well as other life periods characterized by good health.

Dr. Rahe created a Life Chart for the famous artist Vincent van Gogh. This publication contains several beautiful color plates of van Gogh's paintings. A copy can be obtained (while supplies last) for $20.00 to cover handling and postage fees.

In preparation is a Life Chart Manual. When completed, it will present a history of the test as well as provide examples of several completed life charts documenting life stresses, illnesses, accidents, and coping across a lifetime.