The main purpose of this exercise is to allow learners to acknowledge possible stress points, to discuss productive and socially appropriate stress reduction techniques, and to think about emotional hot buttons (including loss of power and recognition).

In the hands of  a good facilitator, this assessment can also bring about productive discussions about power and privilege among those who had not previously considered these matters.

Note that this is a formative assessment, best used as a discussion starter and trust-builder. It is unlikely that intensity factors will shift much for an individual across the arc of a sojourn abroad, so pre-post testing is meaningless other than as a reflective learning experience.