Stress Measurement in Middle/High Income Women: Revision of the PRAMS Stressful Life Events Scale (SLE)

The aim of this study was to explore the properties and utility of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) stressful life events scale (SLE) in a middle/high income population of black and white women. Using the combined Phase 5-7 PRAMS dataset from 34 states, frequency of endorsement of stressors was examined by both race and income, separately and jointly. In addition, psychometric analyses including reliability and a principal component analysis (PCA) were conducted. These quantitative analyses were followed by a multiple step iterative process to develop a revised SLE for use with middle/high Black and White women.