Study title

This data collection results from the Computerised Life Assessment Record (CLEAR) project that aimed to develop an online measure of life stress that captures objective features of life events across a wide range of classifications, recorded by date and sequence over a 12 month period. This was validated against the face-to-face interview the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS). The data files comprise the derived variables relating to severe life events and long term problems (LTPs) for 325 participants comprising three sampled groups based on an existing national midlife sample, the Depression and Case Control (DeCC): (1) DeCC clinical, (2) DeCC control and (3) students. The target DeCC group were those with clinically assessed recurrent episodes of major depression when last studied 10 years earlier. The control was a matched no-depression control group. Students were mostly first year Psychology undergraduates. Three categories of date files exist: Main sample analysis data, Reliability data and Validity data. The main sample analysis comprises the life change and psychological characteristics for all 325 respondents. The variables included cover demographic characteristics, summed life events ratings, long term problem ratings, depression, wellbeing, insecurity, anxious and avoidant categories and health characteristics. Reliability data includes data from a subset of 60 individuals from each group that completed the CLEAR on two occasions, four weeks apart. THis aimed to test whether CLEAR was reliable in terms of test-retest one month apart. This is arranged in three files: demographics, life events and long term problems. Validity data comprises data from 30 respondents from their LEDS interview and CLEAR. The data is matched on the basis of the event descriptor. Stress is a major contributor to illness. It has both objective properties (adverse life events and difficulties) and subjective responses (physical or emotional illness)....