Study Ormel (1980): study NL 1970

Public

15-60 aged, general public, followed 12 month, The Netherlands, 1967-77

Sample

Respondents

N = 296

Non Response

18%

Assessment

Interview: face-to-face
Structured interview

Correlate

Authors's Label

Psycho-social burdens

Our Classification

Operationalization

Major prolonged burdening problems as assessed in a structured interview.
1. Strictly personal problems like
   strong feelings of loneliness, fear,
   depression or inferiority.
2. Interpersonal problems like
   unsatisfactory sexual relation with
   partner or permanent quarrels with
   neighbours.
3. Health problems like chronic heart-
   disease or prolonged revalidation.
4. Housing problems like too little
   space or bad condition of the house.
5. Problems in the jobsituation like
   too much overtime, working in shifts
   or doing work for which got no
   training.
6. Financial problems like high
   mortgage rates or having to pay
   off debts.
7. Abnormal behaviour like alcoholism.
   or problems with the law.
Problems were scored for burdeningness on a 7-point scale by an expert-panel on the basis of interview-protocols. Social and economic background of the Ss were taken into account.

Problems were separated into two categories, according to the origin of the burden.
a SELF INDUCED BURDENS
- The event or the problem is caused
  by a voluntary action of the
  subject, like marriage or buying a
  house.
- The event is caused by evident
  inadequate psychic functioning like
  a road accident caused by careless
  driving.  
b EXTERNALLY INDUCED BURDENS
  The event or the problem is not
  caused by voluntary action of the
  subject like death of a family-
  member.
Assessed at T2(1976)

Observed Relation with Happiness