Table of Contents

List of Threatening Experiences (LTE)

The List of Threatening Experiences (LTE) is an instrument developed by Traolach Brugha and measures the occurrence of 12 major categories of stressful life events1) via self-report (section: mental health). The 12 major categories of stressful life events were selected for their established long-term consequences.
In Lifelines, the LTE is used in tandem with the Long-term Difficulties Inventory (LDI) to assess stress in participants.
A sum score and suspiciousness flag for the LTE is available for use.

Background and validation

The LTE is a 12-item self report questionnaire that measures stressful life events. For each response category, participants indicated whether or not they experienced each of these events in the last 12 months (yes=1/no=0)2).
The Dutch translation includes an additional thirteenth question: “Did you experience any other major severe negative events (yes/no)? If yes, briefly describe what happened?” Item scores are summed to derive a total score3). Inter- and intra-rater reliability were assessed for the LTE1)3) and only for one item (concerning something valuable that was lost or stolen) the intra-rater variability was not significant. Intra-rater reliability of the Dutch version is only available for the lifetime version of the questionnaire, which was assessed twice approximately two years apart (covering the same period).

Variables

The LTE questionnaire has been used several times in general assessments (1A, 1B, 1C, 2A) as well as in additional assessments ACTQ, DEAQ), MHDQ,(NEXT. The main question differed between the assessments as follows:

Main Question in English Main Question in Dutch Code Variable Assessment Age
Could you indicate whether you experienced this unpleasant event in the past year? Wilt u aangeven of u deze onplezierige gebeurtenis afgelopen jaar hebt meegemaakt? lte_pastyear_adu_q_x BRUGHAx 1A 1B 1C 2A 3B MHDQ 18+
Could you indicate whether you experienced this since you filled in Lifelines vragenlijst 4 (2A)? Wilt u aangeven of u deze hebt meegemaakt sinds de keer dat u Lifelines vragenlijst 4 (2A) invulde? lte_followup_adu_q_x BRUGHBx ACTQ 18+
Could you indicate whether you experienced the following events during your pregnancy? Kunt u aangeven of u onderstaande gebeurtenissen tijdens uw zwangerschap hebt ervaren? lte_pregnancy_adu_q_x BRUGHAPREGx NEXT 18+
Could you indicate whether you experienced the following events after the birth pf your child? Kunt u aangeven of u onderstaande gebeurtenissen na de geboorte van uw kind hebt ervaren? lte_postpartum_adu_q_x BRUGHC NEXT 18+
did you experience one or more of these events in the 3 months prior to the period in which you felt down, empty or depressed? Hebt u één of meer van deze gebeurtenissen meegemaakt in de 3 maanden voor de periode waarin u somber, leeg of depressief voelde? lte_mdd_adu_q_x BRUGHDx DEAQ 18+
did you experience one or more of these events in the 3 months prior to the period in which you felt excessively anxious or worried? Hebt u één of meer van deze gebeurtenissen meegemaakt in de 3 maanden voor de periode waarin u zich overmatig angstig of bezorgd voelde? lte_gad_adu_q_x BRUGHEx DEAQ 18+

Virtually no changes have occurred in the list of 13 stressful events that participants had to choose from (yes/no). Only for event 13, 'other negative events', there were three open text fields to fill-in during general assessments and the MHDQ and this was reduced to one open text field in ACTQ and DEAQ.

Questions English Questions Dutch Code Variable Age
You were severely ill, severely injured or a victim of violence U was ernstig ziek, ernstig gewond of slachtoffer van geweld lte_[period]_adu_q_01 BRUGH[x]1 18+
A relative was severely ill, severely injured or a victim of violence Een naast familielid werd ernstig ziek, ernstig gewond of slachtoffer van geweld lte_[period]_adu_q_02 BRUGH[x]2 18+
A parent, child, brother, sister or partner died Een ouder, kind, broer, zus of partner overleed lte_[period]_adu_q_03 BRUGH[x]3 18+
A good friend or close relative died Een goede vriend of naast familielid overleed lte_[period]_adu_q_04 BRUGH[x]4 18+
You and your partner split up Uw partner en u gingen uit elkaar lte_[period]_adu_q_05 BRUGH[x]5 18+
You ended a long-term relationship with a good friend or relative U verbrak een langdurige vriendschap met een goede vriend of familielid lte_[period]_adu_q_06 BRUGH[x]6 18+
You got into a serious problem with a good friend, relative or neighbour U kreeg een ernstig probleem met een goede vriend, familielid of buur lte_[period]_adu_q_07 BRUGH[x]7 18+
You lost your job and haven't been able to find work again U werd werkloos en zocht vergeefs naar werk lte_[period]_adu_q_08 BRUGH[x]8 18+
You were fired U werd ontslagen lte_[period]_adu_q_09 BRUGH[x]9 18+
You faced severe financial difficulties U kwam voor ernstige financiële moeilijkheden te staan lte_[period]_adu_q_10 BRUGH[x]10 18+
You got into trouble with the police or the law Door overtreding kwam u in aanraking met politie of rechtbank lte_[period]_adu_q_11 BRUGH[x]11 18+
You lost money or valuables or these were stolen from you Door diefstal of verlies raakte u geld of iets waardevols kwijt lte_[period]_adu_q_12 BRUGH[x]12 18+
Did any other important and serious negative events happen to you in the past year? Zijn u nog andere belangrijke ernstige negatieve gebeurtenissen overkomen afgelopen jaar? lte_[period]_adu_q_13 BRUGH[x]13 18+
1)
Brugha TS, Cragg D (1990). The List of Threatening Experiences : the reliability and validity of a brief life events questionnaire. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 82, 77–81
2)
Brugha T, Bebbington P, Tennant C, Hurry J (1985). The List of Threatening Experiences : a subset of 12 life event categories with considerable long-term contextual threat. Psychological Medicine 15, 189–194.
3)
Rosmalen J.G.M., Bos E.H., de Jonge P (2012). Validation of the Long-term Difficulties Inventory (LDI) and the List of Threatening Experiences (LTE) as measures of stress in epidemiological population-based cohort studies. Psychological Medicine 42(12):2599-2608.