This paper presents the findings of two independent studies which examined the test-retest reliability and the fall-off effects of the Munich Life Event List (MEL). The MEL is a three-step interview procedure for assessing life incidents which focusses on recognition processes rather than free recall. In a reliability study, test–retest coefficients of the MEL, based on a sample of 42 subjects, were quite stable over a 6-week interval. Stability for severe incidents appeared to be higher than for the less severe ones. In the fall-off study, a total rate of 30% fall-off was noted for all incidents reported retrospectively over an 8-year period. A more detailed analysis revealed average monthly fall-off effects of 0.36%. The size of fall-off effects was higher for non-severe and positive incidents than for severe incidents. This was particularly evident for the symptomatic groups. Non-symptomatic males reported a higheroverall number of life incidents than females. This was partly due to more frequent reporting of severe incidents. The findings of the fall-off study do not support the common belief that the reliability oflife incident report is much worse when the assessment period is extended over a period of several years as compared to the traditional 6-month period.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:26472 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich, Essau, Cecilia Ahmoi, Hecht, Heidemarie, Teder, Wolfgang, Pfister, Hildegard |
| Publisher | Technische Universität Dresden |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Source | Journal of Affective Disorders, Bd. 16 (1989), Nr. 1, S. 77-91, ISSN: 0165-0327 |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 10.1016/0165-0327(89)90059-1, 0165-0327 |
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