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Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ)

  • The LEQ provides a measure of significant life events that have occurred over the previous 18 months of each participant’s life.

    This self-report measurement was developed originally from an interview methodology. Some references are below:

    • Goodyer, I.M., Herbert, J., Tamplin, A., Secher, S.M., & Pearson, J. (1997). Short-term outcome of major depression II. Life events, family dysfunction, and friendship difficulties as predictors of persistent disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 474-480.
    • Goodyer, I., Kolvin, I., & Gatzanis, S. (1985). Recent Undesirable Life Events and Psychiatric-Disorder in Childhood and Adolescence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 517-523.

    Measurement citation:

    • Goodyer, I.M., Herbert, J., Tamplin, A., & Altham, P.M. (2000). Recent life events, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone and the onset of major depression in high-risk adolescents. British Journal of Psychiatry, 177,499-504.

    This measure asks specific questions about the following events:

    • Changing schools / college / jobs
    • Changes in family composition
    • Moving house
    • Disasters at home (e.g. fire, flood, burglary)
    • Serious illness (either the participant, family or close friends)
    • Time spent in hospital (either the participant, family or close friends)
    • Deaths
    • Loss of family pet
    • Losing touch with friends
    • Problems with friendships
    • Any other events (within the last 18 months)

    If multiple events within each domain happened, the participants are asked think about the most unpleasant / sad / painful and answer some additional questions. The event (or most unpleasant event if multiple events) is then self-rated as either pleasant or unpleasant (very pleasant / pleasant / neither / quite unpleasant / very unpleasant). Finally, the participant indicated whether the event impacted them for two weeks or more. Those events rated as quite unpleasant or very unpleasant and which also affected an individual for two weeks or more are more likely to have a lasting distressing effect on individuals. Therefore, these events have been summed, and it is suggested that in most analyses this variable will be the key life events variable. There is also one positive question probing enjoyable activities which is not included in this variable.