Table 1.

Assessment methods of life stress by measurement focus, indicators and mode

Focus	Indicator	Measurement mode*
Exposure to stressors	Community level
	Neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage	S or M
	Catastrophical events (e.g. earth quake, 9/11 terror attack)	M
	Individual level
	Trier Social Stress Test	E
	Adverse childhood experiences	S
	Major life events	S or M
	Socioeconomic disadvantage	S or M
	Work stress, parental stress, caregiver stress	S
	Loneliness, social isolation, lack of social contacts	S
	Animals in naturalistic settings
	Subordinate status in stable social hierarchies	M + B
	Overall social rank instability	M + B
	Social conflict, aggression	M + B
	Animal models in laboratory
	Chronic subordination stress	E
	Social instability stress	E
	Single prolonged stress (e.g. restraint)	E
Stress response	Acute stress
	Blood/saliva/faecal/urine stress hormones (glucocorticoids, catecholamines)	B
	Implantable cardioverter–defibrillator recording + eDiary	M + S
	Chronic or repeated stress
	Hair cortisol, allostatic load index	B
	Genetic variants of stress chemistry (Mendelian randomisation)	B
	Stress reactivity trait	E + B
	Post-traumatic stress disorder	D
	Cushing's syndrome (a stress hormone disorder)	D, B
Stress appraisal	Retrospective and online reporting
	Psychological distress, symptom check lists	S
	Perceived stress, daily hassles	S
	Mobile monitoring (smart phone applications)	S

^*Abbreviations: B, measurement of stress biomarkers (e.g. cortisol); E, external manipulation (e.g. Trier Social Stress Test); D, diagnosed condition; M, measurement of stressor (e.g. record of widowhood, death of child or neighbourhood disadvantage from national registries); S, self-report (e.g. questionnaire, interview, eDiary)