Life events and illness onset: A review

Investigations attempting to show a correlation between life events and the onset of any illness are reviewed. A brief discussion of the main methodologic problems in this area of research is also presented. Investigations of the sick role and the effect of stress upon illness behavior indicate that greater control of these variables is desirable. To gain this, it is suggested that in future studies, illness be more adequately documented than it has been to date. In the studies reviewed here, the data are not sufficiently sound to warrant any firm conclusions conceming the relationship between life events and illness onset.