Chronic minor stressors and major life events experienced by low-income patients attending primary care clinics: A longitudinal examination

Chronic minor stressors and major life events Mere assessed from 129 random ly selected low-income patients attending primary care medical clinics. Par ticipants reported experiencing an average of 15 chronic minor stressors in a 12-month period The most common chronic miilor stressors were reported i n the areas of finances and domestic activities. Participants also reported these stressors as the most intense. The t tests revealed that female part icipants reported significantly (p = .05) more chronic events than males. T he most common major life events were reported in the areas of vegetative s ymptoms (i.e., major change in sleeping and eating habits), financial statu s, illness, and interpersonal relationships. The most stressful life events were changes in vegetative symptoms, family illness, and interpersonal rel ationships. The t tests revealed that employed participants reported signif icantly (p < .05) more positive life events than did unemployed participant s. Implications of the findings are discussed.