Life events were assessed using items adapted from the Life Events Checklist (Gray et al., 2004). Participants were asked to report on the occurrence of five different stressful events: natural disasters, physical assaults, sexual assaults, other unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experiences, and transportation accidents. Participants were given the response options of “ever,” “in the past 12 months,” or “never happened to me.” Items were summed to yield a total Stressful Life Events score. In addition, an inventory of 15 additional items reflecting potentially stressful life events experienced in the past 12 months (broken engagement, separation from a loved one or close friend, serious illness or injury, trouble with the police, etc.) was included (Kendler et al., 1998). A sum score was created for each individual based on their endorsement of total exposure to the events.
