Recent Life Events Questionnaire – RLEQ
Measures the occurrence and ongoing impact of significant stressful life events over the past year.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Recent Life Events Questionnaire – RLEQ was developed by T. S. Brugha, P. Bebington, C. Tennant, J. Hurry (1985). It is designed to measure Stressful Life Events. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 21 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Health and Illness, Bereavement, Relationships, Abuse and Safety, Employment and Finance, Legal and Safety, Family and Living Situation, Other.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Illness | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Bereavement | 4,5 | 2 |
| Relationships | 6,7 | 2 |
| Abuse and Safety | 8,9,10 | 3 |
| Employment and Finance | 11,12,13 | 3 |
| Legal and Safety | 14,15 | 2 |
| Family and Living Situation | 16,17,18,19,20 | 5 |
| Other | 21 | 1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = No, 1 = Yes, but no longer affects me, 2 = Yes, and still affects me.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 42. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low stress exposure: 0 – 2
- Moderate stress exposure: 3 – 5
- High stress exposure: 6 – 42
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High test-retest reliability.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.