Mental & Physical Health: Risk and Resilience Hub. Crisis Stress: #1 How and Why Crises Affect People and Performance June 27th, 2025

 https://riskandresiliencehub.com/crisis-stress-1-how-and-why-crises-affect-people-and-performance/

Crisis Stress: #1 How and Why Crises Affect People and Performance

By Robert Chandler|June 27th, 2025|

People affected by crises and emergencies, both professionals and civilians, experience various stresses and challenges, which can be traumatic.

This article is first of an 8-part series on crisis stress.

 

It’s crucial to understand how these events impact them and potentially lead to conditions like acute stress disorders, acute crisis episodes, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recognizing these effects and adapting to support individuals under pressure is essential.

 

Even emergency responders and crisis managers, despite their training and resilience, can be significantly affected by crisis events. While generally resilient, the demands of crises impose unique stresses on them. Professionals face challenges such as performance pressures, time constraints, high-stakes risks, and potential exposure to horrific circumstances, all leading to significant physical and psychological responses.

General Adaptation Syndrome Has 3 Phases

Hans Selye coined the term “stress” in the 1930s to describe a predictable pattern of physiological responses to noxious stimuli, which he called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). GAS has three phases:

• Alarm Phase: Initial response to a stressor, triggering the body’s alarm response.
• Resistance Phase: The body attempts to adapt and cope with the stressor.
• Exhaustion Phase: Resources are depleted, leading to potential long-term damage if stress continues.

While the latter two phases are relevant to chronic stress, the alarm phase is particularly important in understanding acute stress during emergencies.

 

Not all stress is harmful. Research in high-risk industries like aviation and law enforcement has explored the effects of stress on performance. 

 

While challenging to study in real-life events, research methods like simulations and physiological studies offer insights into how stress impacts attention, memory, decision-making, and even group performance.

Categories of Stress

• Chronic lower-order stress: Routine daily and work-related stresses, ranging from minor inconveniences to more significant personal issues.
• Acute stress: Tied to specific events or contexts like emergencies or crises. Acute stress can be further divided into:
  • High stress: Measurable physiological and psychological effects disrupt normal functions.
  • Hyper stress: Peak effects leading to dysfunctional changes in behavior and cognitive impairment.
  • Traumatic stress: Significant, long-lasting effects on psychological processes, potentially leading to PTSD.

Acute stress can initially boost performance by triggering the “fight or flight” response, enhancing focus and concentration. However, excessive or prolonged stress can have negative impacts on physical and mental functions. Individual responses to stress vary, but the general progression of effects is often similar.

Future articles will explore the physiological reactions to crises and the acute stress response in more detail. Check back on the HUB over the coming weeks for the next seven installments in this series.

####

References

De Soir, E. L. (2003). The CRASH 1 –Model for Psychosocial Crisis Intervention: from Peer Driven Early Intervention to Professional Care and Therapeutic Action with Military and Emergency Services Personnel. Research Report on The Prevention of Psychological Trauma in Fire, Rescue, Police & Military Personnel. Royal Military Academy, Department of Behavioural Sciences, STRESS & TRAUMA RESEARCH CENTRE, Brussels, Belgium.

LeBlanc, V. R. (2009). The Effects of Acute Stress on Performance: Implications for Health Professions Education. Academic Medicine 84(10): p S25-S33, October 2009. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181b37b8f

National Research Council Report: Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions (2006). NRC Division on Earth and Life Studies, Committee on Disaster Research in the Social Sciences: Future Challenges and Opportunities.

McEwen BS. (2017). Neurobiological and Systemic Effects of Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress. 2017; 1. doi:10.1177/2470547017692328

McFarlane, A.C. (1995). Stress and Disaster. In: Hobfoll, S.E., de Vries, M.W. (eds) (1995) Extreme Stress and Communities: Impact and Intervention. NATO ASI Series, vol 80. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8486-9_11

Paton, D. and Flin, R. (1999), “Disaster stress: an emergency management perspective”, Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 261-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653569910283897

Shields, G. S., Sazma, M.A., and Yonelina, A.P. (2016). The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 68, (September 2016), 651-668. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038

Yang, Y., Yunfend, S., Zhang, Y., Jiang. J., Tang, J., Zhu, X., and Miao, D. (2013). Bifactor Item Response Theory Model of Acute Stress Response, PLOS One, 10.1371. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065291

Yeager, K.R. and Roberts, A.R. (2003). Differentiating Among Stress, Acute Stress Disorder, Crisis Episodes, Trauma, and PTSD: Paradigm and Treatment Goals. Brief Treatment & Crisis Intervention, 2003, Vol 3, Issue 1, 3:3–25.

Zhao, Y. (2023). The Effects of Acute Stress Reaction on Trauma-Related Symptoms and Relevant Factors, VOL. 8 (2023): Proceedings of the 2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY, HUMANITIES AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH (EPHHR 2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v8i.4243

 

 

 

 

 

Nigerian Center Receives $40K Meyer Foundation Grant July 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 3, 2025 Contact: Tirrea Billings Digital Storyteller Nigerian Center tirrea@nigeriancenter.org Nigerian Center Receives $40,000 Grant from Meyer Foundation to Advance Immigrant Justice and Economic Opportunity Washington, DC — The Nigerian Center is proud to announce we have received a $40,000 grant from the Meyer Foundation, supporting the organization’s general operations and its Washington’s Prosperity Campaign. This narrative shift campaign highlights the vital role immigrants play as agents of prosperity, including as business owners, civic leaders, and community builders. “When considering the opportunity to drive systems change with the Meyer Foundation in the Washington, DC metro area, their core value of regional responsibility deeply aligns with our mission. The Nigerian Center remains committed to leading the region’s immigrant community forward, particularly those from Black-majority countries who face systemic barriers in policy, legal representation, and economic opportunity. This partnership allows us to do just that.” Gbenga Ogunjimi, Executive Director, Nigerian Center About the Meyer Foundation Founded in 1944 by Washington Post publisher Eugene Meyer and author and activist Agnes E. Meyer, the Meyer Foundation pursues and invests in solutions that build an equitable Greater Washington community in which economically disadvantaged people thrive. About The Nigerian Center The Nigerian Center promotes financial inclusion, immigrant justice, and cultural advancement for immigrants from Black-majority countries. We educate, empower, and support immigrant families in making the United States their new home through policy advocacy, cultural programs, legal aid, financial services, entrepreneurship, and homeownership opportunities. View the Full Press Release

 

 

 

Community Imperative: Los Angeles CERT. Newsletter. THE JUNE 2025 EDITION OF OSB FLOOR WATCH IS HERE

*LA CERT added an additional 80 CERT volunteers in June 2025.

*BOSTON upcoming graduation July 8, 2025 as added new CERT volunteers 

                and instructors in various areas for their communities.

 

CERT growing one community at a time.

 

With over 3,500 Counties in the States and Territories of the U.S., we're moving one community at a time. 

 

BEMA International 

 

=================================================

 

Hello and a good evening to all.

 

Attached is the June 2025 issue of OSB Floor Watch. 

      

          Link to Newsletter (BEMA Int drive):

                     https://drive.google.com/file/d/148VCG_NAePEzhlMAK43kmhyOwc6hes6H/view?usp=drive_link  

 

June was a huge month for us and one of our highlights was the General CERT Refresher which took place in Sherman Oaks. I believe that during the month of June, we saw the largest influx of new CERT members in recent memory. 

 

For those of us here in South Bureau, I count somewhere around 80 new members from four CERT Basic Training classes which completed their runs. At that same time, citywide, we were able to get MOST of those new CERT members out to refreshers, outreach events, and even CERT member-led training sessions. 

 

This last month has been pretty amazing. Please enjoy the latest issue (#115) by looking through its pages and seeing all we accomplished during that short 30 day period. 

 

Everyone, have a great and safe Independence Day Holiday. Now that July has come, more adventures will follow and you can read about it in July's issue (#116) which will come out at the end of the month...as always.  -- 

 

Chin Thammasaengsri

CERT South Bureau & LAFD CERT Dispatch

213-595-1146

lafdcertsouth@gmail.com

FCC Callsign (GMRS) : WQXR 577
"Head 'em up, move 'em on!"

 

 

 

 

Scientific American. AI Arms Race. July 2025

 

AI Arms Race

Talk of an AI arms race is heating up with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta will be consolidating its AI teams into its new Superintelligence Labs. This reorganization comes as Meta’s AI models have been falling behind those of competitors. Zuckerberg has been splashing out huge sums to lure star AI experts from rivals like OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic. Though poached employees were rumored to have received $100-million signing bonuses, TechCrunch reported that no such bonuses were given, though the new hires did receive “hefty multimillion-dollar pay packages.” Meta even spent $14.3 billion for a large stake in data startup Scale AI to bring its CEO, Alexandr Wang, on board as Meta’s chief AI officer. 

 

Meta’s rivals aren’t standing still. OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI have been raising fresh funding. In China, AI companies enjoy significant state backing, and Zhipu AI has been securing government AI contracts in numerous countries. The strategy, according to an OpenAI post, is to “lock Chinese systems and standards into emerging markets before U.S. or European rivals can, while showcasing a ‘responsible, transparent and audit-ready’ Chinese AI alternative.” The U.S. Commerce Department added firms like Zhipu and others to export blacklists, cutting off access to critical U.S. components for AI development. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is actively courting top U.S. AI firms to use frontier AI models to streamline military logistics, improve healthcare for service members and bolster cyber defense. Tech execs have even joined the ranks of a new Army Reserve unit called Detachment 201 (the “Executive Innovation Corps”), with officers from Meta, OpenAI and Palantir serving as reserve lieutenant colonels to lend their expertise to military AI projects. 

 

If this arms race talk is giving you flashbacks to the 1980s, then here’s a video from an AI-generated YouTube channel that features AI-generated 80s-style tunes along with AI-generated images that resemble a version of the 1980s somewhere else in the multiverse. Apparently, AI is also racing to take over YouTube. 

 

For the latest in tech, follow me on X, Instagram and Bluesky @denibechard.

 

—Deni Ellis Béchard, Senior Reporter, Technology

 

Haitian Diaspora Leadership Summit (HDLS). Manaus, Brazil, from July 10 to 13, 2025.

Haitian Diaspora Leadership Summit (HDLS)—a three-day global conference dedicated to uniting leaders from Haitian communities around the world. This important gathering will take place in Manaus, Brazil, from July 10 to 13, 2025.            The Summit’s primary goal is to foster meaningful dialogue, share insights, and identify common priorities across the diverse regions that host members of the Haitian diaspora. At the center of this effort is the creation of a Board of Representatives of the Haitian Diaspora—a formal body that will serve as a unified voice for our global community. This board will engage with national and international institutions to address critical issues, advocate for Haitian interests, and contribute to shaping a brighter future for generations to come.  Haitians around the world have shown remarkable resilience, determination, and leadership. From the Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia, members of the diaspora play a vital role in advancing Haiti's economic, social, and cultural life while making meaningful contributions in their host countries.    Despite its strength and influence, the Haitian diaspora continues to face challenges that limit its collective impact. The HDLS aims to confront these challenges by creating a coordinated and representative international structure that amplifies the voice and agency of Haitians at home and abroad. Through this united effort, we can accelerate Haiti’s development and build a legacy that honors our shared heritage.    To ensure a transparent, inclusive, and participatory process, we will host five online pre-summit roundtables every Sunday in June, starting June 1 st. These sessions will provide an opportunity to shape the summit agenda and lay the groundwork for establishing the Board of Representatives.    In recognition of your leadership and your continued dedication to Haitian communities worldwide, we would be honored by your participation. Your presence at the Summit will be a powerful statement of unity, vision, and commitment to the future of Haiti and its diaspora.    Thank you in advance for your consideration.    To learn more about the Summit and to register, please visit www.hdlsummit.org.    We look forward to welcoming you to Manaus this July.    Sincerely,      The HDLS Planning Committee     REGISTER NOW