title: The Community Child Health Network Life Stress Interview: a brief chronic stress measure for community health research.
abstract: Chronic stress is implicated in many theories as a contributor to a wide range of physical and mental health problems. The current study describes the development of a chronic stress measure that was based on the UCLA Life Stress Interview (LSI) and adapted in collaboration with community partners for use in a large community health study of low-income, ethnically diverse parents of infants in the USA (Community Child Health Network [CCHN]). We describe the instrument, its purpose and adaptations, implementation, and results of a reliability study in a subsample of the larger study cohort.
  
  
  
  Interviews with 272 mothers were included in the present study. Chronic stress was assessed using the CCHN LSI, an instrument designed for administration by trained community interviewers to assess four domains of chronic stress, each rated by interviewers.
  
  
  
  Significant correlations ranging from small to moderate in size between chronic stress scores on this measure, other measures of stress, biomarkers of allostatic load, and mental health provide initial evidence of construct and concurrent validity. Reliability data for interviewer ratings are also provided.
  
  
  
  This relatively brief interview (15 minutes) is available for use and may be a valuable tool for researchers seeking to measure chronic stress reliably and validly in future studies with time constraints.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of California , 1285A Franz Hall, Los Angeles , CA 90095-1563 , USA.
authors.forename: Lynlee R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Tanner Stapleton
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of California , 1285A Franz Hall, Los Angeles , CA 90095-1563 , USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunkel Schetter
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of California , 1285A Franz Hall, Los Angeles , CA 90095-1563 , USA.
authors.forename: Larissa N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of California , 1285A Franz Hall, Los Angeles , CA 90095-1563 , USA.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Guardino
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of California , 1285A Franz Hall, Los Angeles , CA 90095-1563 , USA.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huynh
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of California , 1285A Franz Hall, Los Angeles , CA 90095-1563 , USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paek
authors.affiliation: b NorthShore University HealthSystem , 2650 Ridge Ave, Evanston , IL 60201 , USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Clark-Kauffman
authors.affiliation: c New York Academy of Science , 1216 5th Avenue, New York , NY 10029 , USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schafer
authors.affiliation: d Baby Love Plus Consortium , 1929 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1929 , USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Woolard
authors.affiliation: e School of Public Health , University of Alabama at Birmingham , 1665 University Blvd., 227 RPHB, Birmingham , AL 35294 , USA.
authors.forename: Robin Gaines
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Lanzi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009035:Mothers; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012106:Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: CBPR; Chronic stress; Life Stress Interview; community research; parenting stress; stress measures