Liam is struggling with severe anxiety during his first year at university. He visits the university wellbeing officer, who suspects his anxiety levels are linked to recent stressful life changes.
During their consultation, the wellbeing officer assesses Liam using a student-adapted life events scale. This scale assigns arbitrary stress points to significant life events experienced over the past year. These points are summed to calculate an overall stress score, which helps identify the workload and pressure contributing to his anxiety.
Below is a section of the scale showing the events Liam experienced and his scores:
| Event | Stress Score Value | Times occurred in the year | Total score for event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failing a major module | 60 | 1 | 60 |
| Moving away from home | 50 | 1 | 50 |
| Breakup with long-term partner | 45 | 1 | 45 |
| Severe financial worries | 40 | 2 | 80 |
| Starting a new part-time job | 30 | 1 | 30 |
| Overall Total | 265 |
Describe how the wellbeing officer would use this data to advise Liam on how to reduce his anxiety.
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