title: Measuring Life Events and Their Association With Clinical Disorder: A Protocol for Development of an Online Approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe life events are acknowledged as important etiological factors in the development of clinical disorders, including major depression. Interview methods capable of assessing context and meaning of events have demonstrated superior validity compared with checklist questionnaire methods and arguments for interview approaches have resurfaced because choosing the appropriate assessment tool provides clarity of information about gene-environment interactions in depression. Such approaches also have greater potential for understanding and treating clinical cases or for use in interventions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  (1) To argue that life events need sophisticated measurement not satisfactorily captured in checklist approaches. (2) To review life-events measures and key findings related to disorder, exemplifying depression. (3) To describe an ongoing study with a new online measure and to assess its psychometric properties and the association of life events in relation to disorder and educational outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Computerised Life Events Assessment Record (CLEAR) is under development as a tool for online assessment of adult life events. Based on the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule interview, CLEAR seeks to assess life events to self and close others, link these to other events and difficulties, and utilize calendar-based timing, to improve upon checklist approaches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CLEAR study is in the preliminary stages and its results are expected to be made available by the end of 2015.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is currently no sophisticated technological application of social risk factor assessment, such as life events and difficulties. CLEAR is designed to gather reliable and valid life-event data while combating the limitations of interviews (eg, time consuming and costly) and life-event checklists (eg, inability to accurately measure severity and independence of life events). The advantages of using such innovative methodology for research, clinical practice, and interventions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Abuse and Trauma Studies, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom. r.spence@mdx.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6197-9975
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6428-2014
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bunn
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2646-4968
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nunn
authors.forename: Georgina M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4683-3636
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Hosang
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8405-2443
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kagan
authors.forename: Helen L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4174-2126
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4716-4662
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8316-9706
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bifulco
keywords: disorder; interview; life events; online systems; stress