Temporal relationship between life events and two illness measures: a cross-lagged panel analysis

Stressful life events were correlated with two separate illness measures among naval submarine school students. The two illness measures were self-reported health symptoms, and illnesses recorded in the subjects' medical files. Life events, self-reported symptoms, and medical record illnesses were separated into two time blocks and subjected to a cross-lagged panel analysis in order to assess the temporal relationships among them. A significant positive relationship was shown between negative life events experienced 7–12 months prior to testing and medical record illnesses experienced 0–6 months prior to testing. A comparable relationship was not found for negative events and self-reported symptoms. The results support the view that negative life events increase susceptibility to actual illness onset. They also question the accuracy of self-report measures of illness.