Gender issues in life event research in India: A critical appraisal of the presumptive stressful life events scale.
Women are known to have an increased risk of common mental disorders. Much of this vulnerability has been attributed to psychosocial factors. Life event research is one of the ways in which the role of psychosocial factors in causing stress and illness can be assessed. The presumptive stressful life events scale (PSLES) is widely used in India for this purpose. This paper looks at the inherent weaknesses of this tool for use in Indian women. The issues raised here may be relevant to other Asian populations as well.
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi PIN - 221 005, India.
Preeti
P
Parakh