Stress Scale Calculator is a Windows Phone app designed to measure your potential for illness based on several stress factors in your life. Stress affects our health, moods, and general fitness.
The app is extremely simple and is based on the Holmes and Rahe stress scale (more on this in a second) that presents you with a series of stress factors. The more stress, the more risk of illness.
While the Stress Scale Calculator may not be your typical Windows Phone app to be highlighted during Fitness Month, identifying areas of stress may help your overall health and welfare.
Psychiatry meets Windows Phone
Psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe examined the medical records of over 50,000 patients in an attempt to determine whether stressful events could have caused illnesses. Patients were asked to identify from a list of forty-three life events that they had experienced. Each event was scored with a positive correlation of .118 was discovered between their life events and their illnesses. The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale was born and has been supported through additional studies over the years.
The Stress Scale Calculator delivers the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale to your Windows Phone in uncomplicated fashion. You are presented with the forty-three stressful events that include marriage, retirement, death of a close friend, foreclosure, child leaving home, divorce and more. All you need to do is tap on the event you have experienced and tap the calculate button at the bottom of the screen.
Each response carries a life change points score that ranges from 11 to 100 with your cumulative score determining your potential or risk of illness. A score of 300+ points is considered a high risk of illness while anything below 150 points is considered a slight risk of illness. As you might expect, scores between 299 and 150 points is considered a moderate risk.
Overall Impression
The interface with Stress Scale Calculator is simple and while the concept may seem a little far-fetched, the test is scientifically backed by research. Just keep in mind that the test will show your risk and not a guarantee that you will fall to illness.
Whether or not the risk of illness comes to fruition, the Stress Scale Calculator may also help you identify areas of stress that could be eliminated to improve your overall health and reduce the risk of illness. Again, this may not be your traditional fitness app but could help you identify stressor that may be hindering your fitness quest.
- Stress Scale Calculator - Windows Phone 8 and 7.x - Free - Store Link
